Carmella LaSpada had planned a television career until fate, in the form of a black scarf, stepped in with other plans. While organizing a USO tour in Southeast Asia as a White House Special Projects Aide, she met the young wounded medic who would change her life and set her on a mission that has continued ever since. During a battle in Vietnam, this medic desperately tried to save 35 of his wounded comrades, but tragically saw each of them die in his arms before he, himself, was brought down.

As Carmella sat by his bedside offering companionship, he asked her, “Promise you will do something so that the men who died, and their families, will never be forgotten.” With tears in his eyes, he handed Carmella a black scarf—a symbol of his unit—to seal this promise.

It was with these words in mind that Carmella founded No Greater Love in 1971. This humanitarian non-profit organization is the only one in the country that was solely dedicated to providing annual programs of remembrance, friendship and care that bring together families of those who gave their lives in service to their country or killed by an act of terrorism.
 

She befriended the families of the Americans held hostage in Iran. She was inspired by Penne Laingen, wife of hostage Ambassador Bruce Laingen who tied a yellow ribbon around the oak tree in front of her house with the intention of leaving there until the hostages came home. No Greater Love then designed and distributed lapel pins with yellow ribbons for fellow Americans to wear in support of the families. This innovation began the tradition of wearing ribbons to identify national causes that continues to this day.

She initiated 11 memorials at Arlington National Cemetery dedicated by No Greater Love and organized more than 20 annual tributes to those who have died in wars, conflicts or by acts of terrorism, such as the 1983 Beirut bombings and the attack on the USS Cole. 

The list of well-known people who have participated in her many efforts over the years reads like a National “Who’s Who.” To name a few --The Honorable Colin Powell, General Raymond Odierno, Walter Cronkite, General Omar Bradley, Frank Sinatra, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Johnny Unitas, Kevin Bacon, Billy Crystal, Tony Bennett, Tom Brokaw, Nancy Reagan, and Betty Ford -- along with Medal of Honor Recipients, Members of Congress, Cabinet Secretaries, military officials, US and Foreign Ambassadors, union leaders, journalists, cartoonists and stars of the entertainment and sport worlds have participated…for over 30 years.

In 1996, a few days before Memorial Day, Carmella met a group of school children touring Washington, D.C. and asked them, on a whim, what Memorial Day meant to them. When they responded, "It's the day the pools open," she became determined to reinforce the meaning of Memorial Day and ensure that those who died for our country would not be forgotten. The next year, Carmella initiated the National Moment of Remembrance and worked to have it officially established by Congress through Public Law 106-579. In January 2001, she was appointed Executive Director of the National Moment of Remembrance. The White House Commission on Remembrance was established for 10 years to promote the National Moment of Remembrance and honor America's fallen. The Commission ended at the end of 2010.

Awards

Carmella is the only woman to be awarded the United States Special Operations Command Medal. Other awards include: the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the U.S. Marine Corps League Dickey Chapelle Award, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Spirit of Enterprise Award, the Rotary Club Humanitarian Award, Penn State Outstanding Alumnus, the Unsung Heroine by the VFW Women’s Auxiliary and she has been named Washingtonian of the Year. .