What most did not know was that we at Corboy & Demetrio were fortunate to call Jim Tilmon our friend. Jim was also a professional pilot who became an aviation expert during his television news career. The Foundation is dedicated to protecting children, defending human rights, and promoting democracy around the world.Most people knew Jim Tilmon as a Chicago weatherman who became a household name in the 1970s. Weatherman, a decorated WWII veteran and journalist. The RT Weatherman Foundation was founded Bess Weatherman and Andrew Duncan in honor of Romulus T. In addition to being a Tillman Scholar, Kurpasi has also been awarded Good Conduct Medal three times, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal three times, the Purple Heart Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, among other awards. As a fellow Tillman scholar, Veteran, and American I could not be prouder to see him returned home." Our team spent the last 9 months quietly and diligently working to honor that commitment to Grady and his family. This bond lays at the heart of the mission and values of the RT Weatherman Foundation. Mobbs said, "There is an unspoken bond between those who serve in uniform - if you give your life in combat, your fellow Americans will bear any burden to bring you home. Meghan Mobbs, the president of the Weatherman Foundation and fellow Tillman Scholar, who led the effort to retrieve Kurpasi, will also be in attendance to honor him. As children in occupied Kherson were forced to breathe the constant smell of burning dead Russian soldiers, we, as fellow Americans, share a core moral ideal: we never leave Americans behind. The Weatherman Foundation's Andrew Duncan said, "Grady is a hero for helping to protect the innocent children of Ukraine from an indicted war criminal. He deployed three times to Iraq, serving as an infantry assaultman and ultimately becoming a scout sniper, retiring as a captain in September 2021. Kurpasi, who grew up in New York City following his adoption from Korea, enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 29 following the attacks on 9/11. "Our family is deeply grateful to the Weatherman Foundation for their tireless efforts to find our beloved Grady's remains and to bring him home to us," said Kurpasi's wife. The Weatherman Foundation, a private operating foundation founded by Bess Weatherman and Andrew Duncan, worked tirelessly to locate Kurpasi's remains and was determined to travel to Ukraine to ensure the safe passage of Kurpasi's remains back to American soil. Missing for more than a year, Kurpasi was declared dead by the State Department in April 2023. Eventually joining the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, Kurpasi was motivated to stay and fight after witnessing the many atrocities committed in the communities outside of Kyiv. Kurpasi first traveled to Ukraine in February 2022 to assist with evacuations and train Ukrainian soldiers. Hill was captured by Russian-backed forces and has reportedly been charged with being a mercenary. Kurpasi was accompanied by a British citizen, Andrew Hill, and the men radioed back to their team that they were under fire. Retired Marine Captain Grady Kurpasi, 50, and veteran of the Iraq war, volunteered to fight in support of Ukraine and was last seen on April 26, 2022, after investigating the source of gunfire in southern Ukraine with a group of international volunteers.
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