Artist Jon Van Zyle, Iditarod Grand Champions, veteran mushers and others volunteer on behalf of military families who have lost a loved one in service to our country.

Renowned Alaska artist Jon Van Zyle, along with celebrated Iditarod mushers including veteran Dee Dee Jonrowe and Grand Champions Martin Buser and Jeff King, have enthusiastically volunteered their support to the TAPS 2010 National Military Widows Gathering and the documentary film, THEY ALSO SERVE(wt).  A non-profit organization, the Tragedy Assistant Program for Survivors (TAPS) is the nation’s frontline resource for people who have lost a loved one in military service.

The official artist of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race since 1979, Jon Van Zyle’s work is highly valued by collectors around the world. Mr. Van Zyle is also a two-time veteran of the Iditarod trail and a member of the Iditarod Hall of Fame.

Mr. Van Zyle is donating original cache art for limited edition “Iditarod mail’ to be carried from Anchorage to Nome by veteran mushers, commemorating the TAPS event and documentary film. Mr. Van Zyle will be creating a promotional movie poster for THEY ALSO SERVE(wt).

The special delivery mail is being made possible with the volunteer assistance of Mr. David Schwantes, of the Anchorage Philatelic Society, Alaska’s oldest and largest stamp collecting club. Mr. Schwantes will ensure each limited addition envelope bears a 50th Anniversary Alaska Statehood stamp and is hand cancelled by the U.S. Postal Service in Anchorage and Nome.

Four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser, and his wife, Kathryn Chapoton, are volunteering their time—between harnessing dogs and packing sleds—to assemble an outstanding team of mushers to pay tribute to America’s fallen military heroes and their families. Mr. Buser and his wife operate Happy Trails Kennels, in Big Lake, Alaska.

Ribbons imprinted with the names of  the servicemen killed in the line of duty will be tied to the dog sleds of participating mushers. The mushers will display the ribbons from Anchorage to Willow as part of the Iditarod ceremonial start. The servicemen named on the ribbons are the late husbands and fiancés of women attending the TAPS retreat in Alaska.

Volunteer mushers include (in alphabetical order) Sue Allen, Martin Buser, Judy Currier, Linwood Fiedler, Dee Dee Jonrowe, Jeff King, Bruce Linton, Hugh Neff, Michelle Phillips,  and Jesse Royer.  Mr. Buser, Ms. Jonrowe, and Ms. Allen will carry the commemorative mail from Anchorage to Nome.

For more information about the TAPS—or to donate—please contact TAPS Executive Director Bonnie Carroll at bonnie@taps.org or www.taps.org.