Support Our Troops This Veteran's Day
Today your community may have a ceremony at city hall or a parade to honor our nation's veterans. A few people will attend, but not as many as will attend the Christmas parade next month. In a nation that was born out of conflict and earned its freedom through the valiant efforts of its armed forces, we tend to take that freedom for granted. Political views overshadow the tremendous sacrifices made by all our troops and the indisputable fact that We the People would not have the liberties we enjoy were it not for our armed services.
I ask you today to think for a moment about what your life might be like if our troops had not stood up for those rights, had not served our country when asked, had not made those sacrifices. I ask you to put yourself in their place and imagine how you would deal with the loss of a limb. Or the loss of a loved one when you couldn't be here for the funeral. Or the birth of a child you had to miss. We can't give those things back to our troops, but we can support our service men and women and let them know how much we appreciate what they have done for us.
I am making a plea to everyone who reads my blog today to please take a moment and make a donation to support our troops. There are many charities to choose from - Purple Heart, Wounded Warrior Project, the USO, just to name a few. I would like to highlight the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust. Charity Navigator gives this organization a 5 star rating. 96.5% of the money raised is spent on the programs and services it delivers. The DAV Charitable Service Trust supports physical and psychological rehabilitation programs that provide direct service to America's ill, injured or wounded veterans and supports:
- Programs ensuring quality health care for veterans
- Assistance to veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), substance abuse issues and more
- Programs enhancing research and mobility for veterans with amputations, spinal cord injuries and more
- Initiatives for evaluating and addressing the needs of veterans from each era of conflict
Veterans who are sick and injured as a result of their service deserve our support. The DAV Charitable Service Trust stands up for them because they stood up for us and provides programs that enable veterans and their families to access the services they need.
Please stop what you're doing and take a moment to make a donation. Let our troops know how much we appreciate them. And don't stop with just the wounded veterans. Express your appreciation to all our troops - injured or not. Thank them for their service. Buy them a cup of coffee. Do something nice for them.
Office Express salutes our military and their families.
Remember that we are the land of the free, because of the brave.