Honoring America's Military Family (A Re-post)

Tomorrow is Armed Forces Day in the United States.  Many Americans are probably unaware of the day but since 1950 it has been celebrated on the third Saturday of May.  This is a day to pay tribute to men and women who have volunteered to serve in our armed forces.

Being fancy with my favorite military member

First a brief history lesson:  On August 31, 1949, Louis Johnson, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace the separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days that were recognized annually. The consolidation stemmed from the unification of the armed forces under one department – the Department of Defense. The Army, Navy and Air Force Leagues adopted the newly established day. The Marine Corps League declined to drop support for an individual Marine Corps Day but supported Armed Forces Day too.

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated on Saturday, May 20, 1950. The theme for that day was “Teamed for Defense”, which expressed the unification of all military forces under one government department. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the day was designed to expand public understanding of what type of jobs were performed by the military and the role the military played in civilian life.  It was a day for the military to show off the capacity of the military to Americans who might otherwise be unaware of the strengths of the country's armed forces. It was also a day to honor and acknowledge Americans in the armed forces. Parades, open houses, receptions and air shows were held at the inaugural Armed Forces Day.  Armed Forces Day is still celebrated nationwide today and is part of Armed Forces Week, or as it is recognized in the U.S. Navy- Fleet Week.

And now some statistics:*  Just who makes up today's American all volunteer armed forces?  There are 1.46 million active duty service members and an additional 850,000 men and women in the Reserves.  14.4% of all active duty and 15.5% of the Reserves are women. Outpacing the general population, 37.7% of Officers have advanced degrees. Over half of active duty service members are married and 44.1% of this number have children under the age of 18.  Dual military marriages account for 6.7% of all military marriages and 5.4% of active duty military personnel are single parents.  All together there are 1.9 million active duty family members of which 1.25 million are military children under the age of 18. All total, that is a lot of people, both military and civilian, who are part of the American military family.

Today:  Today Glenn (and I) will recognize Armed Forces Day by hosting a reception.  Invited guests included American, Albanian, and NATO military members and their spouses currently working and living in Albania. In his speech, Glenn will acknowledge the work and sacrifices that both military members and their family members make during long working hours and even longer deployments.  Regardless of our individual nationalities or political affiliations, those of us in the room will all share the common knowledge of what it is like to have a loved one deployed in harms way for months on end.  It isn't easy and in reality, until you have been there, you just don't understand what it is like.

While Memorial Day recognizes those military heroes who lost their lives in battle and Veteran's Day recognizes those who are retired from the Armed Forces, tomorrow is a day to recognize those men and women are currently serving our country.  Please find a military member and thank them for their service.  And while you are doing that, thank their family as well.  Their spouses, partners, children, parents, brothers, and sisters are all doing their part as well.  Together we are all a part of the large military family.

*These statistics and many more are part the 2010 Profile of the Military Community study which includes tons of facts, charts, and graphs that data junkies like me find so fascinating.

Never Forget

Like most Americans, I clearly remember where I was on this early fall morning eleven years ago.  Like my parents when John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas and my grandparents when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, September 11, 2001 will be a day I never forget.  And it is important that none of us ever forget. 

Whether we lost loved ones and friends or watched the tragic events unfold from afar, as Americans we were all profoundly affected by the high jacking and subsequent crashing of four American jetliners.  On that morning my sense of security was unhinged in a way I never thought was possible.  In the days immediately following that Tuesday morning, American patriotism emerged in full force.  Flags flew from every flag pole, street corner, and yes, vehicle, as the country united behind a common cause.  As numb as I was at the time, I was profoundly proud of my fellow countrymen (and women) as we quietly rallied around one another and entered into a new level of civility. 

Eleven years later much has changed.  The civility that marked those first few horrible months has been replaced with widespread mudslinging, partisan accusations, and a general sense of discontent.  Our economy is in shambles yet if you listen to the sound bites everyone else is to blame.  Support for the war that is still raging in the Middle East is waning and with it, support for our troops who continue to be on the front lines on a daily basis.  To me, it is sad that as a society, we have so quickly gone from being united to being so fragmented.

If the chatter amongst my various Facebook groups is any indication (and yes, as of late this is my barometer of what is going on in the outside world), September 11 remembrance ceremonies are very low key this year.  Here in Tirana the U.S. Embassy held a short ceremony and moment of silence this morning to mark the 11th anniversary of September 11th.  (As far as I can tell the timing of the remembrance had no significance in terms of the actual event and the turnout from Embassy personnel seemed much lower than that of last year). This afternoon I paused for my own moment of silence that coincided with the original East Coast times when the horrors first began to unfold. 

I used my personal moment of silence to reflect on the world around me.  I fear that we are forgetting how human behavior and actions shaped the days, months, and years leading up to the terrorist attack and how these same behaviors and actions shaped the aftermath.  We owe it to those who perished on September 11th, and the thousands of Americans who have since died fighting the War on Terror, to never forget their sacrifices.  So thank you to the men and women, both in uniform and out, who are serving our country at home and abroad.  Individuals, families, mothers, fathers, and children who weren't born eleven years ago all share in making these sacrifices.

P.S.  I want to extend an additional message to our small American military family here in Albania.  Our numbers may be low but our presence and accomplishments are strong.  No one may have thanked you recently for your continued service to our country.  I thank you and want to know that your service does not go unrecognized.  I for one, will never forget.