The Professional Female Athletes of the Women's Professional Rodeo Association will be running, not just standing, for the National Anthem at this year's National Finals Rodeo.
Each barrel racer will wear a specially made dog tag with the name of a female soldier who gave her life for the service of our country. The dog tags are a way to honor The Fallen, keep the memory of the soldier alive, and serve as a reminder of the high cost of freedom.
Stevie Hillman of Weatherford, Texas, strongly supports Honor Tags for Heroes saying, "My freedom was free and I will honor those who paid the way for me to enjoy my sport. Wearing the tags of a Fallen Hero is the smallest act I can perform to honor them."
The women of professional rodeo buy their own equipment and horses. Sponsors rarely pay entry fees or provide trucks and trailers for the athletes. The contestants pay their own way and perform largely because it is what they love doing. And Rodeo is one of the few remaining sports where the audience prays before each performance.
Rodeo is America's true patriot event and the women wearing Honor Tags will be standing tall and running hard to honor those who keep us free and have given the ultimate sacrifice.