Thursday, April 30, 2015

Blog #14 -- Military Appreciation Month

It's hard to believe that May is almost here!  The school year has flown by, and we only have a few weeks to go!  As we welcome May flowers and warmer weather, we also need to pause for a moment to say "thanks" to the men and women who serve in our military.  When we stop to think of the sacrifice that these individuals and their families make, we should really be appreciative of their sacrifices.

Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation Month in 1999 to ensure the nation was given the opportunity to publicly demonstrate their appreciation for the sacrifices and successes made by our service members - past and present. Each year the president makes a proclamation, reminding Americans of the important role the U.S. Armed Forces have played in the history and development of our country.


Military personnel can be deployed (sent into an active location) for months at a time.  While this is their "job," it is much different from being a business owner, a teacher, or a police officer.  This job takes them away from their home and their loved ones for long periods of time.  There are no weekends off, and there are no "breaks" to be together with family.  This can be extremely difficult on the military personnel and the family members left behind.

In our 8th grade class, there have been several deployments of family members recently.  Blaine's mother was deployed in early April, and Reid's brother was also planning on deployment soon.
Many other individuals have friends or neighbors that have been deployed in recent weeks.



As individuals, friends and family, what are some ways that we might be a source of help or encouragement to families like this?  How could we encourage the military personnel that have been deployed to faraway places -- away from their families?  How could we help or encourage those family members here?

Explain three or four ideas that you think might be good ways to show Christian service in these areas.

Blog will be open from April 30th  - May 8th.  Your response should be a minimum of five sentences for five extra credit points.

Keep these families in your prayers!  Write on!

19 comments:

  1. Two of my grandfathers fought in the Vietnam war, one of them flew planes and the other fixed weapons. I personally don't know anyone who is being deployedbut if I did I would tell them I love them and to be safe. I would try to FaceTime the soldiers over the computer. For there family I would continue to tell them I'm sure he's fine and he'll come back soon. I truly appreciate all the soldiers who have fought for you safety

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  2. We could throw some type of event to show that we love all of the military families. I dont know anyone personally that has been deployed. If I did I would tell them that I love them and hopefully I will see them again. Although, my grandpa was in WW2. He has passed away, but if he was still alive I would ask him what it was like. Calling and facetiming is a nice way to contact the soldiers. It is nice to be able to here their voice every once and a while. Thank you too all of the the soldiers that fight for our country!

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  3. There are many ways we could encourage the military. We could face time them. We could write letters to them. For the family I would reassure them that whoever has been deployed will be safe and everything will be ok.

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  4. My brother is in the army so i know whats its like to be inn Military family. I usually face time him and sometimes right letters about how much i miss him. This is his last 4 years so im glad he is coming home

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  5. Great ideas so far! I cannot imagine having a loved one deployed. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Write on!

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  6. There are lots of things we can do to help the military we can send little care packages with candy and helpful things to make them happy. You can always FaceTime the soldiers deployed to tell them what's going on in our life and ask them about their life. My grandfather was in the Vietnam war and he was apart of the navy he liked getting things from his family and friends.

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  7. I, personally, don't know anybody who is deployed. I don't really know a single thing about any of that. However I do know it can be difficult to deal with. Maybe send letters back and forth whenever possible. It's small but it could mean a lot. I would suggest visiting and reassuring those who have family members that are deployed. They are going through a scary time, and it's your responsibility to help them out a little.

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  8. I think we should have a whole week dedicated to them. They are risking their lives for us. We should show them a lot of love because they could get killed in the field.

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  9. I have a uncle in the marines he was deployed a couple months ago. His family is in California. He has a little girl and a little boy. I don't get to see him much. And when I do it is for a short time period. We skype him every now and then. To invent a better way to see your family.

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  10. (Part2) we should have a week long parade for them. We should also have a military Olympics where they could compete against each other.

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  11. Send them thank you for your service cards. Buy them wormer blankets for the cold times. Throw a big welcome party every time they come back home.

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  12. We can help them to get a job once they come back. We can send supplies and money to the military, and we can help the kids with family overseas and being deployed.

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  13. We should web cam them and give thanks. We should all send them thank you notes. We should give them many different parties when they return.

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  14. We should do the pledge and be proud that we have people fighting for us. We could send them things like blankets or etc.

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  15. We should have special things for them. Maybe like a specific line for them in resturants so they don't have to wait as long to get in. We should try to get the government to pay them more for what they do. We could always make them feel good buy sending letters to them. Telling them how much we appreciate them.

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  16. Some ways we can encourage them is to be respectful during the Star Spangled Banner because military people risk there lives for the flag, and sometimes it upsets them because being disrespectful to the flag shows them you don't appreciate there service. When they're deployed we can send them emails or letters of appreciation. Some ways we could encourage family members is to thank them. It isn't just hard on the person deployed, it's hard on the family too. We should thank them because they do a lot for this country too. They go to sleep every night and wake up every morning knowing that their loved one could get shot that day.

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  17. I personally have not gone through what they are going through but I would tell them thank you. Also how much I respect them and what they do. And FaceTime them so we could talk to them. And every time I get to see them I would cherish every moment. And when they got home give them the biggest welcome home I could.

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  18. Both my grandfathers were in the Air Force in the Vietnam War. My grandpa I spend so much time with went to Vietnam twice. We put many flags in front of his house for holidays to honor our military. We should learn to speak to the military members and thank them. Our churches have Military Appreciation Day. We could ask veterans to attend with us. We donate clothing and other goods to the veterans center in Nashville. They come to your house and pick up the things. Many veterans are homeless. Those donations may be the only clothes, coats, and shoes they have. I have been taught to honor our military.

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  19. Great job and awesome ideas! This blog post is now closed!

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