By K.D. Norris
It is common practice to honor the flag prior to the a high school basketball game, to stand for the playing of the national anthem. But South Christian High School pushed honoring America, and American service members and veterans, to an whole other level at a game last month when it hosted a special veterans recognition ceremony.
At the Sailors’ Dec. 15 game when it hosted Caledonia, a special ceremony between the girls and boys games honored U.S. Navy SEAL David Warsen, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2012, and well as other servicemen and women that have sacrificed their lives. It was also a benefit for the David Warsen Foundation and Warriors Set Free, a Grand Rapids based organization for veterans run by veterans to help deal with PTSD, suicide, anxiety, depression, and other life issues.
The event was the creation of two South Christian students, seniors Andrew Haan and Will Warsen.
David Warsen “was a cousin of my friend Will, my partner in organizing the event,” Haan said to WKTV. “I know Dean VanderMey who is on the board at Set Free Ministries, I told him about this project and he referred me to Steve Prince, the main person at Warriors Set Free, which is an offshoot of Set Free Ministries.”
For Prince, it was not his first time working with the David Warsen Foundation and it all fit perfectly with his ministry’s mission.
“I was invited to the South Christian event by Andrew Haan, his brother is connected to Set Free Ministries,” Prince said to WKTV. “I have also attended several events with the David Warsen Foundation. A large part of my ministry is spreading the word about what we are doing, so being at that event helped to inform more people about our mission. I also spent some time (at the game) talking with people who are already connected to Set Free Ministries and military vets.”
Warriors Set Free — “Where the hurting and the Healer connect”, according to its website — “is a (Christian-based) ministry run by Veterans for Veterans. Typically a Veteran will only be comfortable talking to another Veteran about the experiences they have had in a war or military service. Trying to explain your military experience to a civilian has its challenges. We remove that problem by training Vets to help Vets. Our director, founder and volunteers are all Veterans.”
For more information about the David Warsen Foundation visit davidwarsenlegacy.com and about Warriors Set Free visit setfreeministries.com .
