Video by Joseph Andrew Lee

CHICAGO—“I want to be involved in organizations that care about me and my journey as a survivor.”

London Bell was approaching the anniversary of her brother Marine Staff Sgt. Vincent Bell’s 2011 death in Afghanistan when the USO and TAPS offered her the chance to take a trip with others who’d lost siblings to war. Weeks later, she was making unexpected friends in Manhattan. She was also finding out that she wasn’t alone.

“I started out on the journey as a lone traveler, but I left meeting several people who were really just like me,” Bell said. “It was a good way for me to bond.“