Remembering our Veterans and Announcing Ruly Ruth!

Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; . . .

–June 4, 1926, Concurrent Resolution of the U.S. Congress establishing Armistice Day, reprinted at “History of Veterans Day,” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Today is Veterans Day in the United States– a sobering day to reflect on the sacrifices made by many for the cause of freedom and to reaffirm our commitment to world peace.  Ruly joins the nation in remembering soldiers who have lost their lives in conflicts recent and past and those who have made and continue to make sacrifices large and small to serve in our armed forces.

Ruly also recognizes the spouses and family members of those serving in the military whose own “service” to the nation supporting our military is as important.  Today, Ruly announces a new monthly feature, “Ruly Ruth.”

Ruth is the spouse of a military service member and is perhaps the most social person I know.  She is a classic extrovert and makes friends everywhere she goes.  Ruth is also one of the most energetic people you will ever meet and is impossible to forget.  I am proud to claim her as my sister.  Ruth’s role here at beruly.com is to share tips and advice on bringing order to your social interactions.  We will toss her the tough questions about difficult social situations from a personal and business perspective.  She will share experience gained from the working world (as a former mining engineer and an MBA), from her life traveling the country as a military spouse and as a mother of two young children.

Today, in honor of Veteran’s Day, I asked Ruth to share with us some of her insights as a military spouse as well as tips for how we can honor and remember our veterans.

There ought to be a boot camp for military spouses.  Being a military spouse requires physical, mental and emotional toughness.  I can just see the challenges now….alone, with two children in tow, your assignment is to: 1) fix the car, 2) handle a medical crisis involving you or one of your children, 3) dispose of a dead bird, mouse and iguana in your home (or call the neighbors in a screeching voice and beg them to do it for you), 4) volunteer to watch your neighbor’s children (you owe them for the extermination services), 5) bake cookies for a school or military social event, and 6) serve as the communications hub for your spouse, your family, your spouse’s family, your friends and neighbors and other military families. As they say in the military spouse world, as soon as the service member leaves (whether on wartime deployments or peacetime training exercises), that’s when everything falls apart—and usually within the first 3 weeks!

Of course, the indescribable fear that a spouse may be killed or injured in the performance of their duties is one military spouses have to suppress and do our best to ignore on a day-to-day basis.  Yet, this fear is all too real sometimes.  Unfortunately, a close friend lost her husband in a helicopter crash the last week of October. Her Facebook page reads: “My husband, my best friend, my hero….how do I go on without you? Thank you all for your prayers!”  We don’t choose who we fall in love with and spouses and children have to be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice too in terms of losing a treasured family life, picking up the pieces and moving forward.

This is why I ask you to honor Veterans Day, a day to honor those who serve and have served in the United States Armed Forces as well as the families behind those service members.

Whether your employer gives you the day off of work or not, I believe all of us need to start a new tradition for Veterans Day with the involvement of ALL family members. I am providing a list in true Ruly fashion of some ideas that each of us can do. Some are very quick and only take a few minutes, some require months-long commitments, but all are extremely worthwhile both to the recipient and the giver.

1)     Send a card/drawing/letter to either a retired veteran or spouse living in an Armed Forces Retirement Home. Unfortunately, some of these residents are without family, so any correspondence is greatly appreciated:

Washington, DC – 3700 N. Capitol St. NW,
Washington, D.C.  20011-8400
Gulfport, MS – 1800 Beach Drive 
Gulfport, MS 39507

2)      Send a letter or care package to a deployed service member. Some organizations require you to “adopt” a servicemember for the duration of their deployment, just an fyi. Below is a small sample of the organizations involved in such projects:

Marine Parents Care Package Project
Cards for Soldiers
USO Care Packages
U.S. Department of Defense, Community Relations
Give 2 The Troops

3)      Fly the American flag! And here’s a great site on the proper rules accompanying our flag:

4)      Make sure any neighbors–especially spouses of deployed service members with children– have a place to go for Thanksgiving. Many of us are living away from our own families and would welcome the chance to form a new “family” with those that live near us.

5)   If you live near a military base, many have programs so that those that are single can go eat with families in the area. It’s a chance for these guys and gals to relax and have a home-cooked meal IN A HOME!  Call the base information number, and ask for the PR department.

6)      Go to a local cemetery and walk by the graves marked with flags. Those are the veterans who have served our country with pride.

Most importantly, please take a minute to thank a veteran this Veteran’s Day.  I can tell you from my husband’s experience that this sentiment is not sappy or ridiculous and that most members of the military will receive this thanks with pride.  My thanks to all who have supported our family as well!

Ruth

For readers in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area, an additional way to honor and remember service members killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom is to attend or participate in the “Run for the Fallen” shadow 5K event this Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. starting at the downtown library on Caroline Street.  This event is hosted by CrossFit Spotsy and additional information can be found here.

Inspired by the courage and dedication of our military service members, may we all strive to make the world a better place for people in all nations.

Remembering especially today:

Robert L. Holt (CWO4, U.S. Air Force)
Kyle Van De Giesen (Capt., U.S. Marine Corps)
Gregory Fleury (Cpl., U.S. Marine Corps)
Dale Griffin (Sgt., U.S. Army )
James R. Taylor (Col., U.S. Army)