View a Special Virtual Presentation Commemorating THE LAUNCH OF THE BSU-UMD SOCIAL JUSTICE ALLIANCE
“I am going to Live Life to the Fullest.”
-Richard Collins, III
We are honored to share this website with you. Following the tragic death of our son, my wife and I decided to establish a foundation to continue his legacy and build a lasting tribute to honor our son’s memory. Our vision for creating our foundation was two-fold. First, we believe that it is important for us to make sure that our son’s life is given purpose even though he can no longer be present with us physically. While the pain of no longer being able to speak with him or hear his voice is at times overwhelming, the work involved in continuing his legacy through our foundation provides us with some measure of comfort.
Secondly, we intend to use our foundation as a vehicle of change through which private citizens are educated of their civic empowerment under the law in the communities where they live. It is intended to raise individual awareness of the civic duty of all of us to acquire and act upon the knowledge of the law regarding individual rights and protections. In addition, we must hold our elected officials and civic institutions accountable to ensure that the law protect, respect, and value the right to life of all citizens. -Richard Collins, Jr.
05.20.20
On this anniversary of our son’s murder, we reflect back on the past three years. The tragedy that affected our family is not an isolated incident. So many innocent lives have been lost due to messaging and actions promoting hatred, extremism, and violence. In memory of our son, 2nd Lt. Richard W. Collins III, we celebrate the Maryland law recently passed in his name, which equips the State’s Prosecutors with the appropriate legal tools to achieve a conviction of perpetrators of hate crimes. We are committed to the effort of pursuing the passage of similar legislation nationally. Our goals for 2020 also include advocacy for empowering institutions of higher learning to advance civic education of the danger posed to society through affiliation with hate organizations.
Rep. Steny Hoyer
Sen. Chris Van Hollen
Sen. Ben Cardin
Rep. Anthony Brown
Hoyer, Van Hollen, Cardin, Brown Secure Provision for Family of Slain ROTC Graduate 2nd Lt Richard Collins III in House and Senate NDAA
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-MD), and Congressman Anthony G. Brown (MD04) announced that they have secured provisions within the Senate and House Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to provide the family of slain ROTC Graduate Richard W. Collins III with the benefits they’re owed following his death. The amendments were introduced by Senator Van Hollen and Congressman Brown and cosponsored by Senator Cardin and Congressman Hoyer and are expected to pass alongside the full NDAA when the Senate and House come back into session later this month.
On May 20, 2017, Richard W. Collins III, a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) graduate of Bowie State University who had been commissioned into the U.S. Army, was murdered just days before he was scheduled to go on active duty. Following Lt. Collins’ tragic death, the Collins family has faced difficulty in receiving the recognition and benefits Lt. Collins and his family would have received had he been on active duty.
Last year, both the House and Senate passed legislation introduced by the Members to ensure that an ROTC graduate who dies between commissioning and their first assignment is treated as having served in the military for the purpose of death benefits. Unfortunately, the bill as-adopted applied only to future cases. The amendments secured by the Members in this year’s NDAA will ensure that the Collins family receives the benefits of this legislation.
“Nothing can bring back Lt. Richard Collins or make sense of his horrific murder, but I hope this small action will bring some relief to the Collins family,” said Congressman Hoyer. “I appreciate the hard work of my colleagues to secure the benefits due to the Collins family.”
“Lt. Richard Collins’ tragic death was made even more painful for his family through the challenges they faced in receiving the proper benefits and recognition for Lt. Collins,” said Senator Van Hollen. “Nothing will ever fill the void of their loss, but I’m hopeful this provision brings the Collins family some peace of mind.”
“Lt. Richard Collins’ family will finally receive the much-deserved recognition of their son’s commitment and dedication to the Army and serving our nation,” said Senator Cardin. “While we pray no family has to endure the loss experienced by the Collins family, we hope this will set a precedent for the future.”
“We must ensure that what happened to Lt. Collins’s family does not occur again to another service member’s loved ones,” said Congressman Brown. “Let us not take for granted the preparation, training, commitment, and service that ROTC graduates pledged to the American people but honor their memory and support their loved ones.”
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