It’s a powerful feeling to know you’re needed—especially when you’re needed by a grieving child. Amanda Carnes tenderly held onto the young boy as he cried for his military father who had died from suicide. Carnes wanted to give him the same kind of love and care that she would give to her own daughter during times of need. She held him tightly—and it meant the world to him.
She is a volunteer for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), an organization dedicated to the bereaved who have lost a loved one in the military. As a Marine Corps officer who has witnessed the loss of colleagues and the impact that loss has had on their families, Carnes knows the importance of connecting with these military families and remembering their sacrifices.
She feels blessed to be part of their grief journey toward finding healing and peace. “It may not seem like you’re making a difference at first, but you do,” she said. “You see them transition through … it and you’re there with them in their moments.”
Carnes had learned about TAPS’s mission early in her Marine Corps career. In 2013, the native Texan decided to volunteer as a “military mentor” for the organization, offering emotional support to families with a loved one in the military who has passed away. She also acts as a chaperone for TAPS’s annual Memorial Day weekend camp for children who have lost their military parents—which is where she met the young boy.
