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A highlight of the 2010 Spirit of America Festival is the participation by members of the Arrowhead  District of the Boy Scouts of America in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.  Since its founding in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America have served over 100 million members and made a positive impact on our nation’s youth, developing strong leaders and supporting traditional American values through the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

Scouts will be encamped near the Children’s Tent in a special Boy Scout Celebration Area that will provide displays and hands-on demonstrations of typical scouting activities.  Try your hand at soap-carving, learn proper knot tying techniques, race in the “rain gutter regatta”, test your dexterity in the monkey bridge, make a rocket to blast off and watch scouts use a branding iron to create a one-of-a-kind keepsake for the festival honoring the event and the 100th year of scouting.  Ham-radio demonstrations,  a weather simulator, and a discussion and display of the religious emblems and awards to be earned will also be featured.  Peddle cars will provide fun for everyone to test their racing skills!  Throughout the day, Scouts will play an integral role in activities such as flag-raising ceremonies and the award ceremony.  Join the fun in the Boy Scout Celebration Area, and take part in the activities that celebrate youth and the perpetuation of American traditions, skills and values.

To learn more about the Arrowhead District of the Boy Scouts of America, please visit their website at www.arrowhead.1bsa.org.

More information on the national program celebrating 100 Years of Scouting can be found at www.scouting.org/100years.

The 2010 Spirit of America Humanitarian Award will be presented to

James R. and Carol Henderson

James R. Henderson, with his wife and equal partner Carol Henderson, has provided many valuable charitable services for nearly 20 years to people in need through his all-volunteer Emmanuel Ministries.  This organization has given over one million pounds of groceries to the less fortunate and the elderly, and has sponsored a project for prison inmates to repair nearly 1,000 children’s bicycles which are distributed by the Henderson’s and other volunteers to children at Christmas.  James and Carol also founded and operated the Rose of Sharon Home for pregnant and troubled girls for many years, and conducted regular church services for inmates at Limestone Correctional Facility.  This included conducting services in the HIV Special Unit and presenting Christmas programs for inmates in local jails and prisons.  These Christmas programs became special events in themselves, when as many as 2,000 inmates received encouragement and small gifts of cookies and soft drinks for Christmas.

When the war in Iraq and Afghanistan started, James, a retired Army Colonel, Vietnam Veteran and Bronze Star recipient, shifted his work to support military members and their families, as well as veterans.  He became Chaplain of the Redstone-Huntsville Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army in 2004 and conducted the invocations for many patriotic events, including the Honor Flight departure and return ceremonies at Huntsville Airport for 1,000 World War II veterans traveling to Washington to be honored at the WWII Memorial.  He has performed invocations at the Huntsville Civic Center, Veteran’s Day parades and at deployment and return ceremonies for local National Guard and Army Reserve units deployed in the War on Terror.  In addition, he performs funeral services for veterans and others who have no family or no pastor.

Typical of his commitment to his calling, James happened to be at the site of the air show tragedy at the Huntsville Airport in the summer of 2007 when a microburst killed one person and critically injured several others.  Being less than 50 yards from the worst devastation, Henderson, as the only minister on the scene, quickly gained access to the area where the injured were evacuated for emergency care.  Among the grief stricken, Henderson consoled and comforted the injured and their family members.  Following the ambulances to the hospital, he and Carol were given access to the family members of the injured in a special area where they continued to offer love and support.

One of James’ favorite scriptures is Jesus’ admonition in Matthew, Chapter 25 that “whatever you do for the least of them, you do for me.”  Henderson is quick to say that is all about the love of Jesus Christ, and like the blind beggar that Jesus healed, “Once I was lost, but now I’m found.  I was blind, but now I see.”

With the dedication and hard work of his wife, Carol, this ministry has grown through the years.  Reverend James Henderson is an ordained priest, pastor and evangelist in the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church.

Contacts:

David Carney 256-652-2460
James Henderson 256-337-0826

The 2010 Spirit of America Barrett C. Shelton Freedom Award will be presented to

Joe Fitzgerald

Joe Fitzgerald was born in Owensboro, Kentucky. His family moved to Huntsville in 1954. He attended both Madison County and Huntsville City schools, graduating from Huntsville High School. He earned degrees from both UAH BA ’71 (serving as its Alumni Association President in 1980) and Alabama A&M University MS ’77 (where he taught evening classes in Computer Science for several years).

In 2006, he founded Honor Flight Tennessee Valley, an organization that transports WWII veterans and terminally-ill veterans to their memorials in Washington, D.C. Honor Flight Tennessee Valley was one of the first organizations in the country to Honor WWII Veterans in this way. Thousands of volunteers, guardians, family members and supporters take part in each and every Honor Flight. To date, Honor Flight Tennessee Valley has safely flown over 1,000 WWII Veterans, members of our “Nation’s Greatest Generation”, to and from their memorial in Washington DC. Veterans visit the Women in Military Service Memorial; Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; The Marine Corps Memorial; the Korean War Memorial; and tour DC before returning to the airport and a welcome home celebration attended by thousands of welcoming friends and family.

In 2010, he was named as Top 20 finalist by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation for his work with Honor Flight.

He also founded “Honor Flags”, a program to accompany each Honor Flight. This program transports the burial flags of WWII Veterans who have died before seeing their memorial – for a ceremony at the WWII Memorial to recognize and honor their service. The flags are returned to the families accompanied by a certificate from Honor Flight indicating that the flag was presented and the serviceman or woman was recognized at the WWII Memorial. To date, Honor Flight Tennessee Valley has honored more than 200 deceased WWII Veterans at their Memorial through this Program.

He is Past- President of the North Alabama Veterans and Fraternal Organizations Coalition, a group of more than 45 Veteran support organizations across North Alabama. He is also Past-President of the Association of the United States Army Redstone-Huntsville Chapter, earning the Best Chapter Award, the first time this award was earned in the Chapter’s 50-year history. This feat was repeated again in his second year as the President.

He has been a civic and community leader since 1974, when he was awarded the Huntsville Jaycees’ highest individual award, the “Key Man” award, for his work in leading community projects, and he has never stopped.  Since that time, he has managed and conducted national and international conferences, and major community projects including the North Alabama Armed Forces Week Celebration (Judged 2^nd Best Community Relations Event in the entire U.S. Army for ’03). He twice chaired the Space and Missile Defense Conference (the largest conference and exhibition held in North Alabama). In 2006, he was awarded Alabama’s highest civilian recognition, the “Distinguished Service Medal”, by Governor Bob Riley, and in 2009, he received the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution’ highest award, the “DAR Medal of Honor”.

He is self-employed as a defense and aerospace consultant.
He and his wife Patti live in Huntsville, Alabama.
They have two children (Patrick and Liza) and two grandchildren (Jay and Drew).

Other Relevant Information/Professional Affiliations:

• President and Founder, Honor Flight Tennessee Valley ’06 – Present
• Chairman, Space and Missile Defense Working Group ’10 – Present
• Committee Chairman, Transportation, 2010 Medal of Honor Gala ‘10
• Vice-President, Association of the US Army, Third Region ’06 – Present
• Past President, North Alabama Veterans and Fraternal Organizations Coalition ’06-’07
• Past President, Redstone-Huntsville Chapter, Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) ’03, ’04, ‘05
• Best Chapter Overall for all of AUSA for ’04 and ‘05
• Past President, Huntsville Association of Technical Societies (HATS) ’01,
• HATS Professional of Yr ‘98
• HATS Outstanding Service Award ‘08
• Past President, Life Member, TN Valley Chap, National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), ’99
• Founding Director ’90, Past President, Huntsville Aerospace Marketing Association (HAMA), ’95
• Past President, Life Member, UAH Alumni Association, ’80
• Past National Chairman, Missiles and Rockets Section, Armaments Division (NDIA) ’00, ’01, ‘02
• Past Chairman, 3rd & 9th Annual Space and Missile Defense Conference and Exhibitions ’00 & ’06
• Past Chairman, 1^st, 2^nd, & 3^rd International Missiles and Rockets Conferences (NDIA) ’00, ’01 & ‘02
• Past Chairman, Military Affairs Committee, Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce ‘03
• Past Chairman, Life Member, Huntsville Committee, National Space Club (NSC) ’02-’03,
• National Space Club’s Professional of the Year for ‘04
• Past Chairman, Computer Society, Huntsville Section (IEEE) ‘78
• Director, Pathfinder Chapter, Assoc. of Unmanned Vehicle Sys International (AUVSI) ’01-‘09
• Education Director, ’06-’10, Grants to K-12 Robotics Teams; and Scholarships ($70K/yr)
• Vice Chairman, Operations, International Society of Logistics Engineers (SOLE) ’08-‘10
• Past Director, Redstone Chapter, International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA) ‘97-‘03
• Past Director, Chapter Mgt, Jaycee of Year, Distinguished Service Award, Huntsville Jaycees ‘74
• Life Member, Air Defense Artillery Association (ADAA), Awarded Saint Barbara Medal ’06
• Life Member, Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA)
• Member, Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee, ’04-‘05
• Member, National Advisory Board, Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) ’05-‘08
• Member, Space and Missile Defense Working Group ’93 – Pres, Fellowship Awards Chairman ’02-‘06
• Founding Member and Scholarships Chair, Army Space and Missile Defense Association (ASMDA)
• Eagle Scout, BSA Tennessee Valley Council, Troop 12, ’64; Order of the Arrow – Brotherhood

Other Recent Recognitions:

• President’s Special Service Award, North AL Veterans and Fraternal Coalition, ‘08
• Certificate of Appreciation, Secretary of the Army, ‘08
• State of Alabama, House of Representatives Resolution 373 – Honoring Joe Fitzgerald, ‘08
• Dept of the Army, Commanders Award for Public Service, ‘08
• Letter of Commendation, Commanding General U.S. Army AMCOM, ‘08
• Certificate of Commendation by the Governor of Alabama, ‘08
• Honorary Alabama Colonel, Adjutant General of Alabama, and Governor of Alabama, ‘08
• Parade Grand Marshall & Guest Speaker, Veterans Parade & Program, Decatur Alabama, 11 Nov ‘08
• Daughters of the American Revolution, Excellence in Community Service, ‘08
• Sons of the American Revolution, Good Citizenship Award, ‘08
• Daughter’s of The American Revolution, Medal of Honor, ‘09

CONTACTS:
David Carney 256-652-2460
Joe Fitzgerald 256-797-6012

The 2010 Spirit of America Audie Murphy Patriotism Award will be presented to

Homer H. Hickam, Jr.

Raised in Coalwood, West Virginia, Homer H. Hickam Jr., has inspired many Americans with his stories that encourage people to pursue their passion and reach for their dreams.  A graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) with a degree in Industrial Engineering, Hickam also served during the Vietnam War as a First Lieutenant in the Fourth Infantry Division from 1967-68 where he won an Army Commendation and Bronze Star medals.  After serving six years on active duty, he left the Army with the rank of Captain.

Upon his return from the service, Hickam embarked on his writing career, writing for various magazines and recounting stories of his scuba diving adventures.  His first book, Torpedo Junction, depicted the battles of the World War II  U-boats along our country’s east coast.  His second book, Rocket Boys: a Memoir, became an inspirational classic telling the story of his life growing up in a coal mining region while pursuing a dream of building and launching rockets.  This book became the basis for the Universal Studio’s movie October Sky. As a child growing up in Coalwod, Hickam was involved in Boy Scouts.  His book, October Sky, is used as a teaching aid for the Wood Badge leadership training course for scouting leaders.   Other works by Hickam include Back to the Moon, The Coalwood Way, Red Helmet and the Keeper’s Son.

In addition to his work as a writer, Hickam worked for the U.S. Army Missile Command as an engineer from 1971-81, where he worked in Huntsville, Alabama and Germany.  In 1981, he began a career with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Marshall Space Flight Center as an aerospace engineer.  He worked in various capacities of spacecraft design and crew training, rising to the position of Payload Training Manager for the International Space Station Program.

Hickam was awarded with the Alabama Distinguished Service Award in 1984 for his efforts to rescue the crew and passengers of a paddleboat that was sinking on the Tennessee River.

Hickam is married to Linda Terry Hickam, and he is well-known in Huntsville for his ardent support of NASA.  His sterling career as both an engineer and an author has resulted in an annual “Rocket Boys Day” in West Virginia.

The life and work of Homer Hickam embodies the American ideal that a person’s dreams should never be limited by their surroundings, and that the “Spirit of America” is best defined by those who use their talents and abilities to pursue their personal best in all that they attempt and achieve.

Contacts:

David Carney 256-652-2460
Homer H. Hickam, Jr. – www.homerhickam.com

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