Meet George Lutz

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful George Lutz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

George, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

On December 29, 2005 my oldest son while serving in the US Army was killed in Iraq by a sniper. The journey of grief to healing led me on a mission to ensure that all military heroes and their families will never be forgotten.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

A synopsis of my story…..

A father’s journey began simply. Soon it turned into a vision. Now it’s become a nationwide movement. On Memorial Day 2008 George Lutz launched the national non-profit Honor and Remember Inc. and unveiled publicly the Honor and Remember Flag, designed to become our national symbol of remembrance for all military who died in defense of our freedoms. It pays tribute to heroes from all wars, even as the POW-MIA flag honors those captured and missing.

In 2010, George drove cross-country visiting each state capital and meeting with governors, state legislators, businessmen and citizens to establish support for the flag. He covered 39,000 miles in 5 and one-half months. His journey began June 7, 2010 with first stop Dover, Delaware. It ended November 11, Veterans Day, in Arlington National Cemetery, where his son Tony is laid to rest.

In 2011, he took his mission to Congress, planting himself in Washington DC for two months visiting all 541 legislative offices. Leaving with over 150 co-sponsors on a national bill recognizing the flag.

Since its inception 28 states have officially adopted the Honor and Remember flag (AK, AZ, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MO, MN, NC, NE, NJ, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, WI, UT, VA, VT, WV, WY., and many more are in process including KY, AL, MA, NH, NY and OH are just a few.

Creating state chapters, state-wide Run for the Fallen events, organizing venues, volunteers and public speaking, He continues to travel around the country presenting personalized flags to Gold Star families
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In 2018 he established America’s Run for the fallen, organizing the most comprehensive fallen veteran tribute every conceived. Covering nineteen states, five thousand miles over five months calling out loud the name of every fallen service member who lost their life during the War on Terror. Over twenty thousand names were called one mile at a time.

Soon after he flew to Ukraine where he spent the time sharing his journey of remembrance with military fallen families in that country. Consoling and bringing compassion and healing to their fathers and mothers. Subsequently the first international Honor and Remember flag was created to honor their war dead.

Over the past decade since Honor and Remember was established, the organization has presented personalized Honor and Remember flags to over 5,000 families from many generations of veterans’ families from WWI to Afghanistan, with over 400 waiting. Each personalized flag bears the veteran’s name, date of death and country where he died. Each presentation is meant to be a public ceremony to honor the fallen.

Healing has begun for families once overcome in grief including: the widow who had tried to commit suicide, the elderly couple whose only son died in Vietnam unacknowledged for 40 years, the five Navajo Indian families on a remote reservation. George Lutz reached out to others, and found healing himself.

Now with the seventh bill on Capitol Hill it is his hope that soon our fallen military and their families will get the public recognition they deserve for the freedoms they died to preserve. And that together we are able to leave this expression of appreciation to all Americans as a specific message of thanks to all of the families left behind.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Purpose.

Everyone must find their reason for being on the planet, a reason for getting up everyday, a purpose that they believe in. With purposeful direction we can push past the negativity with confidence feeding off only encouragement and optimism.

Vision.

In our mind’s eye we must have dreams, a direction to head toward, something we strive to achieve – a vision that is beyond the day to day but life changing that is almost beyond reach.

Perseverance.

We will never move forward unless we push ourselves to succeed. There are obstacles along every path we take. We must embrace every opportunity to move through open doors and when they aren’t open, to work through the challenges until they are. If we totally believe in the direction we are heading then understanding how to overcome becomes vital to any success.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

There are so many ways you can participate in this mission of perpetual remembrance and everyone can take a place in its success; there are hundreds of creative ideas. Here are a few important things you can do:

FLY the Honor and Remember flag and when it becomes faded and tattered, replace it. Make it a part of your office or family’s traditions when you fly the American flag. Encourage organizations that have a flagpole (i.e. businesses, churches, veterans groups, etc.) to fly the Honor and Remember flag. Wherever you see an American flag flying is a potential location for the Honor and Remember flag. Invite your neighbors over while you raise the flag and say the names of the service members in your community who have died.

WRITE a letter to your city council requesting that it adopt a resolution officially recognizing the Honor and Remember flag. Many cities across America have done this and are continuing to do so. Most city councils have a sample resolution on file and will modify it for your needs. We can help you with any legislative wording.

SEND a letter to your senator or member of Congress telling them about the flag and the importance of national adoption. Currently, there is federal legislation in process.

CONTACT your state representatives and ask them to seek a resolution adopting the Honor and Remember flag at the state level. There are many states that have already endorsed and adopted legislation, making the Honor and Remember flag their state symbol of remembrance.

CONTRIBUTE. There are many expenses involved in conducting this national campaign. Any support you can give will help us to continue our mission. Every dollar will enable us to meet the very important goal of providing personalized flags to fallen hero families.

SPONSOR. If you know of a Fallen Hero family in your community, please consider sponsoring a personalized Honor and Remember flag for them. Directly sponsoring a flag pays tribute to their loved one and organizing a special presentation brings healing.

ORGANIZE an official state chapter in your state, volunteer, or organize one of our Run for the Fallen events.
SIGN the Petition, if you haven’t already. Our goal is 1.6 million signatures, one supporter for each life lost in our nation’s history. Once that is achieved, our hope is that the Department of Defense will support us and Congress will enact a law officially recognizing the Honor and Remember flag as a national symbol.

TALK about the flag. Tell everyone in your circle, including businesses, about the importance of this national flag and encourage them to visit and sign the petition.

SPREAD the word through newsletters, emails, blogs, or by linking to our website and social media. Additionally, send the press release link to any media locally or nationally to let them know about the campaign. We would welcome the opportunity for national attention, including syndicated talk shows. Consider setting up a table at local events to have petitions signed and to hand out Honor and Remember literature. Contact local radio and TV stations and newspapers and educate them about the Honor and Remember flag. We are very willing to do interviews to educate the public and increase awareness. Invite media when there are flag presentations or organized events.

VISIT the website at honorandremember.org and see what events are going on and what type of volunteers or donations are needed. Share them on your social media and educate your friends and colleagues about all of the ways they can participate and continue carrying the torch. Be aware of those in your community who have suffered loss and do not forget them.

Please take this seriously to heart: “Individually We Remember a Few, Together We Remember Them All.”

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