Remember What?
Remembering is often the cry that we hear when we are looking to honor and respect something, somewhere, or someone. So why does FreedomSystem.org call their yearly event “Remember?” This question is often followed by the question, “What are you remembering?” The answer is simple, albeit, sometimes sad, but joyous in its mission.
Veteran’s have a way about them, we, love to remember our loss; regardless, of how we lost them. Oftentimes the ways of loss are nearly the same.
Why Does FSO Remember?
The reason is simple. Once a military member gets out of the military they become Veterans. The United States military is great at training military members; however, they really are awful at training their members to be civilians again. They have gotten better, but still not good enough.
It’s a simple concept that FreedomSystem.org employs: camaraderie will save lives.
The story, unfortunately, did not start as a happy one. Yet, this story is not over and our history needs to be remembered always!
Veterans Past
The rally cry was “22 Until None…” The real number was never that, but it was close. I never cared about the number because I was affected by one. One of my best friends from high school, turned Marine was put out due to regulation changes. my friend took his own life after reaching out to me. It hit me hard. Ironically, I was not in a much better headspace before he did it. Instead; I reached out to people that we were friends with that I felt needed to know.
Many of the friends I reached out to were all prior military, as most of my friends were/are. After all the conversations had with these people there was a clear role that needed to be filled. The roll was easy – never forget Stephen James (Jimmy) Oelslager. And never forget those that have made the choice to end their pain, their own suffering, and their path.
Veterans Present
Today, we honor those soldiers, sailors, Marines, Airmen, and coasties that have served. We Remember them because without them our country is nothing. There is one safety net that our government has and that is the U.S. Veteran. Our Oath, to most, has no expiration date.
The Veteran today is struggling like most of those before us to bridge the military to civilian gap. This is a great divide between civilians and military due to the high engagement and testosterone fueled lifestyle that is often stifled by civilian life.
Therefore; we creat camaraderie programs that see that Veterans are able to do what they do best: be a Veteran. Make sure to look at what we offer.
Veterans Future
We aim high to make sure we cover all the bases from all of our programs. That way when the next generation of Veterans get to our status they can have the camaraderie and team they expect to have, and not have to worry about learning how to transition.
Overall goal is to make certain that no more Veterans are living with the bullet at the end of every bottle.
Remember: Honoring the Legacy of Veterans, Present, Past, and Future
This year our hosts and emcees include: Casey Hendrickson, Lauren Zeugner, Kenny Holmes, and our Keynote Speaker is Captain Chad Fleming.
If you have not gotten your ticket yet, it’s time to! Get your tickets here: Tickets
Until next time:
PEACE!
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