National Military Appreciation Month comes to its peak this Memorial Day weekend, as individuals and families across the nation remember the individuals who gave their lives while serving their country. Events to celebrate the service member community can be found across the nation, while many authors and media professionals use this time to remember specific soldiers who paid the ultimate price for the United States.
Whatever approach a community might take, the important thing is to remember why Memorial Day is observed each year. Showing active service members and veterans recognition, respect and appreciation should be the highest priority of the weekend.
One organization's approach
Triple Pundit recently published a blog post from Chris Crace of PricewaterhouseCoopers that described some of the ways in which the organization has made it its mission to support the veteran community throughout the year. The author pointed out that PwC's Chairman Bob Moritz has stated in the past that he does not think military appreciation or remembrance of fallen soldiers should only occur once or twice a year, but rather every day.
According to Crace, PwC has implemented a range of programs that specifically work to support veterans who want to advance their professional careers, and many have been successful. The company has also established the Veterans Affinity Network, which helps service members navigate career paths and connect with one another in a more seamless fashion. Additionally, PwC has worked to support the families of service members in similar fashions.
Interestingly, Crace also pointed out that PwC Learning and Development's Manager for the San Diego, California, area understands exactly how challenging being married to a service member can be. Alicia Bowman's husband is an active Captain in the Marines, and has had a positive experience working for the firm.
"Long-distance relationships are tough and you're always worried about your partner's safety," she told Crace. "But, I'm confident that my team will support me through whatever we must go through as a military family."
Supporting veterans and service members through life's challenges should indeed be a priority throughout the year, while specifically remembering those who died during their duties in the military is just as important. Memorial Day will be a good opportunity to do so.
A pilot's family's search
USA Today contributor Jim Michaels recently explained the challenges his family faced when trying to find an Army Air Force pilot during World War II. The author of the article is the nephew of that soldier, John Matthews, and walked through the stories he had heard from his family regarding the process of finding out what had happened to Matthews' brother, Robert, who had died during his service in Europe.
Eventually, the family discovered his fate, as well as what actions led to his death, but only after a significant amount of searching. Michaels argued that "remembering is all we can do" to respect fallen soldiers in many cases.