Celebrating National Military Appreciation Month

What events do you typically celebrate in May? Perhaps you thought of Mother’s Day, Memorial Day or even, school graduations. Yet if you had a copy of Chase’s Calendar of Events, The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months, which is my new best friend, you would have discovered many, many events to celebrate. Some are obscure, others funny and some are very surprising. I always enjoy exploring each month’s selections as they are both educational and enlightening. But I was especially excited to learn about National Military Appreciation Month which is celebrated each May. Did you know about that? Well, I didn’t either so I was very curious to learn more about its inception.

It began in 1999 with initial legislation sponsored by Senator John McCain of Arizona and Representative Duncan Hunter from San Diego. Six years later, it was solidified with unanimous support from both Houses of Congress. Now in its eighteenth year, this is a time set aside to “honor, remember, and appreciate the patriotism and dedication of our military families.” Also, every year the President “makes a proclamation, reminding Americans of the important role the U.S. Armed Forces have played in the history and development of our country.”

So now I want to do my part to introduce you to Military Appreciation Month and provide some options to help you thank and honor our military. As a starter, my May website content will be dedicated to past and present military members and their families. There will be inspirational quotes from WWII era military leaders and blogs about significant WWII events. Then each Friday, I will highlight a popular WWII military entertainer who was born in May. There will be some surprises along the way too.

May has a rich history of significant military activities which is another reason it was selected as the Military Appreciation Month. Perhaps you might want learn more about or attend one of these key events: May 1-Loyalty Day, May 8-Victory in Europe (VE) Day, May 12-Military Spouse Appreciation Day, May 20-Armed Forces Day, and of course May 29-Memorial Day. A quick computer search will give you more information about local or national celebrations. My favorite is always the Memorial Day Concert, broadcast every year from the west lawn on the U.S. Capitol and aired on your local PBS station. In addition, there are two official websites with many helpful resources, and I encourage you to check these out: www.nmam.org and www.military.com/military-appreciation-month

So what does it mean to be supported and appreciated? I know what my father’s response to that question would have been during WWII when he was serving in the jungles of New Guinea. Receiving letters and packages from his family, neighbors and friends meant more to him than anything. Although these letters probably didn’t say, “Thank You for Your Service,” he knew his efforts and sacrifices were truly appreciated with every letter he got. This simple thoughtfulness also reminded him that he was not forgotten even when he was nine-thousand miles from home.

While there are various ways to show respect and appreciation to veterans and active duty members, saying “thank you” is just as important today as it was to our WWII troops. Fortunately, these troops are not as isolated as my father was during WWII. Also, there are more and faster communication options available to stay connected now; however, these men and women still need to hear from us. Writing a letter is just one way we can support our military especially this month. Plus, it is very simple to do thanks to a nonprofit that I recently discovered in my research on Military Appreciation Month.

The organization, Thanks a Million was founded in 2004 by Shauna Fleming when she was only fifteen years old! It began as a local community service project in Orange County, California, with the intention of sending one million cards and letters of appreciation to U.S. military around the world. Within three weeks, it evolved into a national effort and the goal of one million letters was reached in less than six months. Today this 501(c)(3) non-profit has distributed more than seven million letters and is still going strong. Shauna continues as the spokesperson but has also expanded the organization’s focus to include: granting wishes to military injured in the War on Terror and funding higher education scholarships to children of fallen military. A million thanks to you, Shauna and your team for making every day an occasion to show our appreciation through your letter writing campaign.

Will you please join me during National Military Appreciation Month and write letters to our service members through http://amillionthanks.org/send_a_letter.php I know my daddy would have been thrilled to receive a letter from a stranger telling him how much his service was appreciated. There are many daddies, mamas, sons and daughters out there who are still protecting us from locations all over the world. We must continue to show them and the veterans our gratitude for their service and sacrifice.

“For those who have fought for it –freedom has a taste the protected will never know” written by Bill Smardo after attending the Daisy Mountain Veterans, Vietnam 50th Anniversary Commemorative Medal Ceremony on April 8, 2017 in Anthem, Arizona.