We here at TriplePundit are not publishing today, Memorial Day, as we feel it’s important to remember what this day has been about since the late 1860s — remembering and mourning U.S. military personnel who lost their lives while serving in the country’s armed forces.
So, we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least offer a few suggestions on how to remember those who lost their lives, their families — and for veterans of past armed conflicts.
Operation Second Chance
This Maryland-based nonprofit that offers a bevy of services to military families, starting with financial assistance for families affected by troops who are injured while on military duty. Help includes funds for rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, childcare or transport costs for family members who need to visit loved ones who are hospitalized.
Honor Flight Network
Since 2005, the Honor Flight Network has been sending World War II, Korean War and now, Vietnam War veterans to Washington, D.C. so that they can share memories with other veterans from across the U.S.; during their visit to D.C., they also have the opportunity to visit monuments so they can remember the friends they had lost.
3p’s editor, Leon Kaye, has two uncles, one a WWII vet, the other who experienced combat in Korea, who together experienced this opportunity in 2017 while both were in their late 80s. All the veterans’ experiences are fully paid for; donations can be made to a local chapter or the national Honor Flight foundation.
Canine love and support for vets
It goes without saying that a loyal friend can help mend one’s pain: That’s certainly true of dogs and what they can do for veterans. K9s for Warriors is the largest nationwide provider of service dogs for U.S. vets; Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) works with incarcerated people so that they can help raise and train service dogs for war vets and first responders.
Image credit: Chad Madden via Unsplash
