HEROES ABOVE US
Our Story
Heroes Above Us was established in 2018 by Nick Schulze as a means to honor men and women who have been killed in action or combat-related actions. Always moved by the acknowledgment, appreciation and standing ovation shown to one living veteran at each Kansas City Royals home game, Nick wanted to find a way to provide that same honor and acknowledgment to the men and women who had not survived their term of service to our country. Moreover, he sought a way to allow a fallen Hero's immediate family, including sons, daughters, spouse and parents, to be able to see firsthand the appreciation of that service member’s own community — and for these children to know that their fallen parent was truly a hero, in a way that only the sight and sound of thousands of people standing in unison to show their undying appreciation can provide.
As he was proceeding through the process of creating a charity, Nick was made aware of a tradition among military families of releasing balloons to remember a fallen loved one. He chose to integrate this act into the fabric of the charity by incorporating the balloon release as the featured part of the event honoring each selected Hero and their family.
The balloon release may take place at any event or venue that the selected Hero held close to their heart. Because Nick's motivation came from the acknowledgment of veterans at baseball games, sporting events were an obvious choice, but any and all events that will actively participate and provide access for the charity and Heroes' families are welcome. The final goal is simply to honor a fallen Hero and their family through a balloon release at a public event, through coordination with that event, so that both the Hero and their family are recognized and can be shown the gratitude and praise they deserve from the community for which the Hero gave their life.
