This country has a long history of men and women making sacrifices for our freedom.
As I celebrate our freedom and our county's independence this holiday with my family, I especially appreciate how actions across the country are enhancing the independence of those touched by military service.
Independence is not driven by words but by actions.
It is in our DNA as a country, an attitude across the nation, to want to assist those individuals who have served in uniform and their families. At the Joint Chiefs of Staffs we called this the "sea of goodwill" and our mission was to turn this groundswell of support into actionable steps.
So this July 4th, I'd ask everyone to go beyond what they might usually do (for example, thanking us for our service) and get to know us through action. A little creativity and an inquisitive mind will turn up lots of opportunities to put your talents to good use.
For example, to the medical professionals who don't currently accept Tricare, would you consider doing so? It would mean a lot for spouses and children to be able to work with doctors located outside of the military medical system.
Or to the business professional at the airport, would you email your HR team and ask what your company is doing to hire veterans? Ask them how many veteran candidates the organization has in the hiring pipeline and what is being done beyond online job boards to recruit veterans. Encourage them to send you resumes of veterans for positions that you have opening up.
In New England, our affiliates are implementing Veterans Count, a one-of-a-kind care coordination program that provides free and confidential support to veterans and military families. Care coordinators travel to the client, responding to needs while being unencumbered by office hours or locations.
I will pledge this to you. If you extend your thanks by taking some action, you will become an honorary member of a special network of people who represent less than one half of one percent of the U.S. population. Then we can thank you for your service.
To read this article on The Huffington Post, please click here.
