HEALING & SUPPORT

Reaching Out and Finding Support

Memorial Day has always been a day of unity — a time for Americans to come together in remembrance of our fallen heroes from wars past and present and to honor and support their loved ones whose lives have been altered forever. We must also support our troops and their families, who need and deserve our care in this time of crisis.

Family and friends who lose loved ones in America’s conflicts must learn to live with a hole in their lives that cannot be filled. For those whose loved ones serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, modern warfare has given rise to new kinds of loss. Many of the most devastating wounds of these wars would have been fatal in past conflicts. But with today’s battlefield medicine soldiers are returning home with wounds, both seen and unseen, that can severely compromise hopes for the future or even end any possibility of leading a full life.

On the 2007 National Memorial Day Concert, Gen. Colin Powell (Ret.) delivered a call to the nation to reach out to the wounded.

Read General Powell’s remarks.

On the 2009 Concert, General Powell reminds us that the families of the wounded also need and deserve our support.

Now is the time for you to help.

Take Action
Choose the buttons to the left to learn about opportunities and ideas for how to support veterans, their families and loved ones as well as resources for soldiers and their families that provide assistance.

Wounded warrior José Pequeño and his family will be honored on the 2009 National Memorial Day Concert.

REFLECTIONS

“As a veteran of the 1st Gulf War and a current active duty member, the one thing that most often surprises me and makes my day wonderful is when I am in uniform at lunch or going to or from work, and a stranger stops me to thank me for my service. We serve you America. Not because we have to, but because we want to. Thank a service member when ever you get the chance. We appreciate your thanks for our service.”

William York
MD