TAPS Military Mentors Are at the Heart of TIME101 Recognition
Author: TAPS
The April issue of Time magazine featured the publication’s annual list of the 100 most influential people, and TAPS was proud to be included as this year’s TIME101 honoree in partnership with Gillette and Time’s award-winning branded content division Red Border. In case you missed the feature, TAPS Military Mentors were shown sharing special moments with their mentees at Good Grief Camp — most prominently featured was Military Mentor Tanner Haggerty teaching Andrew Ortiz, the surviving son of Marine Corps Sgt Miguel Ortiz, to shave during a 2023 TAPS shaving experience.
Military and Legacy Mentors aren’t just at the heart of the TIME101 announcement, they always have been — and continue to be — at the heart of Good Grief Camp, where they honor the fallen by supporting young military and veteran survivors and being a lasting connection to their military heritage. The shaving experience is a TAPS tradition that lets Military Mentors step in and teach surviving teen boys to shave. It’s a seemingly small step into manhood, but the impact, according to Military Mentor Mark Brickell, is lasting.
Mark learned the art of shaving from his dad as a young teen, and he recalls his dad telling him about learning to shave from his father. It’s a rite of passage shared between father and son through generations.
“What I remember real clearly,” Mark shares, “was my father standing behind me, looking in the mirror…reaching around me to help show me how to shave. I could feel [his] scruff and smell…what a lot of people think is cheap, old aftershave, but — to me — the smell was my dad.”
When Mark joined the Marine Corps years later, a clean shave was a requirement. He bypassed the knicks and cuts that many young Marines encountered thanks to the lesson from his dad and years of practice. During boot camp, he recalled his father’s scent bringing him a sense of peace in the middle of chaos.
“It’s something that you don’t learn from everybody,” Mark points out. “Neighbors don’t come over and teach you how to shave. It’s your dad who teaches you how to shave.”
Sadly, the teen boys learning to shave with TAPS at the shaving experience don’t have their dads there to look them in the mirror and guide them through their first shave. But, thanks to our compassionate Military Mentors, like Mark and Gillette’s support, these young men will still have a gentle hand guiding them through each stroke of the razor. This rite of passage, though different, will be memorable. They will always recall the scent of their mentor’s aftershave; it will bring them peace in the middle of life’s challenges. As they, one day, pass on what they know to their own sons, they’ll experience the pride of watching a young man grow up in the mirror before them. They will wish they could’ve shared that with their dads, but their hearts will swell with gratitude for the heroes who stepped in and made sure they did not face this milestone alone.
Learn more watching our TAPS named Time101 in Partnership with Gillette video.
TAPS is grateful for TIME100’s recognition of our critical mission and Gillette’s dedication to the TAPS Military and Legacy Mentor program, which ensures bereaved military children have enduring support as they grow.
Photos: TAPS Archives, Time Magazine