Remembering Our Troops
Remembering our troops this Memorial Day.
I was at a loss for how to express my feelings, today. “Thank you for giving your life to serve our country,” is not nearly enough, no matter 
how many other descriptive words I add. “How can I possibly express the depth and awe of my feelings behind those words to truly honor and thank the men and women who knowingly (and unknowingly) faced death – daily – for a cause our leaders have at various times and in various places determined worthy of that sacrifice?,” I asked myself. I can’t.
But then I thought of the spouses and parents and siblings and children of these brave men and women who must daily live with the pain of having lost their husband, wife, son or daughter, brother or sister, mom or dad. As a mother, that’s a pain I’ve reflected on many times, but I’ve never had to get past the crushing, breath-taking, life-freeze-framing jolt that accompanied the fleeting daydream or nightmare shrouding the thought because I could force myself to shake it off, reminding myself, it’s in my imagination.
Resources to Help the Families of our Fallen Troops
So I thought I would use this post to share some of the resources that are available to help the families of our fallen troops as a way of honoring those who’ve given their lives:
- MilitaryKidsConnect (MKC) is an online community of military children (ages 6-17 yr old) that provides access to age-appropriate resources to support children from pre-deployment, through a parent’s or caregiver’s return.
- T.A.P.S., Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, “Caring for the families of the fallen….” TAPS is a 24/7 tragedy assistance resource for ANYONE who has suffered the loss of a military loved one, regardless of the relationship to the deceased or the circumstance of the death. Founded out of tragedy in 1994, TAPS has established itself as the front line resource to the families and loved ones of our military men and women, providing comfort and care through comprehensive services and programs including peer based emotional support, case work assistance, connections to community-based care, and grief and trauma resources.
- Military Family Network™ works with the military, government, organizations, businesses and military families to create a community of expert and trusted resources both online and off. Through MFN, the military community can be confident that they can tap into a wealth of programs, services, and resources. Using this information, military families can build their own personal support networks, customized to their family needs, to increase their readiness and well being.
And to our fallen men and women, THANK YOU.
Lisa Frederiksen
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