Page 9 - Abraham Lincoln Hearse Narrative

With the words of Abraham Lincoln, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle
and for his widow, and his orphan,” President Lincoln affirmed the obligation to care for those
injured during the war and to provide for the families of those who perished on the battlefield.
For more than 200 years individuals in the military have never wavered in their service
to America. We recognize that all our veterans have given something of themselves to this
country. Some have given all - laying down their lives to defend the freedoms we hold so dear.
Yet, some strive to live with the horror they endured for you and for me.
Not all veterans have seen war, but a common bond that they share is an oath in which
they expressed their willingness to die defending this nation. They have defended America
through both the best and worst of times, and they have performed their duties tirelessly, with
little recognition or fanfare.
It is up to all of us to ensure that every veteran feels that their service to this country
is appreciated by their fellow Americans. In addition to recreating the Abraham Lincoln
Hearse, the Staab Family continues to support special projects that reconnect the community
to veterans . . .
 The Staab Family feels truly blessed to have designed, built and participated
in several veterans’ memorials, as we do consider it part of our mission to
keep our Veterans in Honor.
 The Illinois Veterans Community Classroom Project, which connects high
school students to veterans by capturing the personal oral history of a veteran
on videotape. This video of the veteran’s life experience in the military, not
found in textbooks, is held by the Library of Congress.
 The Land of Lincoln Honor Flight, another special service affording the
opportunity to a veteran the experience of visiting the war memorials in
Washington, DC.
Our Veterans commitment and resolve were the driving force behind the Staab Family’s
hundreds of hours of research required to reverse
engineer and recreate the Abraham Lincoln hearse,
tendered in 1865 Springfield, before the build
project could commence. Additionally our research
uncovered “The Lincoln Hearse Conundrum”
report which pinpoints the location of the only
known photograph used for the hearse build
project.
Much like the life of Abraham Lincoln, the
Staab Family came to understand that obedience
and faith go hand in hand when seeking the
freedom life has to offer. We now know that this
could only be achieved by accepting God’s grace
and blessings bestowed upon us. We hope that the
hearse build story is as compelling for you as it was
for our family. With the direct encouragement of my
brother Mark, the Staab Family and our Associates,
the Abraham Lincoln hearse build story can now be
revealed to our Nation.

In Gratitude,
PJ Staab II, Project Coordinator
PJ Staab II

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