Wednesday, October 30th, 2024

Casualty Assistance Grant

Hero's Salute

If you are a family member or Casualty Officer seeking support, please contact us at 1-84-HELP-VETS.

Online Casualty Assistance Grant Application Below

Military Friends Foundation “Hero’s Salute” grant offer a wide range of immediate support to military families whose service member died on active duty in the Armed Forces including:

Assistance with funeral/burial expenses
Assistance with travel arrangements and travel costs for family members
Assistance with lodging arrangements and lodging costs for family members
Assistance with collation/funeral meal
Memorial photo pins for wake/funeral services
Handheld flags for local communities to honor the Fallen

These funds – designed as “first-responder” support – can either be accessed by the family’s primary contact or the Casualty Assistance Officer calling 1-84-HELP-VETS.

We want express our thanks to the Gold Star Wives of New England, Gold Star Mothers of Massachusetts & RI, Massachusetts National Guard, Veterans Service Officers (VSOs) and Casualty Assistance Officers (CAOs) for their assistance in designing this program. The funding to support Families of the Fallen comes from voluntary contributions made through Tough Ruck Nation, Question 32E on the Massachusetts State Tax Form and generosity of private donations.

LONG-TERM SUPPORT SERVICES FOR GOLD STAR FAMILIES

Families of the Fallen Community Events:

Military Friends Foundation offers year-round community building events for families of Fallen Service Members. These events include the Massachusetts Run For The Fallen 5K walk/run, Tough Ruck in partnership with the Boston Athletic Association, Massachusetts State House Gold Star Families Tree and more. Military Friends also hosts private events for families to further connect with their community.

Case Management and Referral Services:

Military Friends Foundation works with Gold Star Families of all eras to connect them with support services and other benefit providers. These services help ensure families are aware of benefits on both the state and federal level along with other public programs. Families interested in these services can contact Military Friends Foundation at 1-84-HELP-VETS.

ONLINE CASUALTY ASSISTANCE GRANT FORM

Casualty Assistance Grant

Fallen Servicemembers Name*
First Last
Fallen Servicemember's Rank*
Fallen Servicemember's Pay Grade*
Branch of Service*
Fallen Servicemembers Home of Record (Town/City)*
If the Fallen Servicemember's Home of Record is not Massachusetts, please explain ties to Massachusetts.
Fallen Servicemember's Date of Birth (MMDDYYYY)*
Fallen Servicemembers Date of Death (MMDDYYYY)*
Cause of Death
Location of Death*
Military Unit Last Assigned To*
Location of Most Recent Overseas Deployment (if applicable)*
Name and Phone Number of Funeral Home*
Name of Next of Kin*
First Last
Phone Number of Next of Kin*
Email of Next of Kin*
Address of Next of Kin*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
Does the Fallen Servicemember have children/step-children under 18?
Name of Person Completing This Form (if different then Next of Kin)
Relationship to Family (e.g. CAO, Veterans Service Officer, Official Family Representative)
Are you the primary contact for us to connect with?
Email of Primary Contact
Phone Number of Primary Contact
Military Friends Foundation and Tough Ruck Nation offer a wide range of ssupport including the following. Please check off any that may apply.
Military Friends Foundation Casualty Assistance Program is designed to provide immediate support to families to relieve financial burdens and enable a family to focus of the final salute to their Warrior. Please share with us any immediate needs that would offer relief to the family. We understand all families are unique and our goal is to provide support that is customized to your family. We also welcome you to share any additional information about the timeline of services and burial so that we may respond as quickly as possible to your needs.
You are welcome to upload a photo of you Fallen Servicemember for the memorial photo button. Military Friends will deliver the buttons to the primary contact or funeral home upon request.
Accepted file types: jpg.
Grant Submission Confirmation (Initial Below)
By completing this form, I understand that support Military Friends Foundation an independent 501c3 organization and may report to related state agencies including legislators when a grant is provided. Additionally, when a grant is provided Military Friends Foundation Tough Rucker supporters frequently pay tribute to the Fallen Warrior and their family by taking part in a free virtual Tough Ruck Memorial March. As part of this, we can share out the Fallen's GoFundMe or scholarship link. A bib with the Fallen Service Members name will be carried by the ruckers across the country on the day of the funeral as a final tribute and photos will be shared with the family and Military Friends Foundation/Tough Ruck community.