Ed. Note: May is Military Appreciation Month. Find ways to show your support for our service members and their families at JoiningForces.gov.
At an event last week, I was wearing my dress uniform and dozens of people made the effort to thank me for my service to our country. After close to two decades in the United States Army I am used to being recognized, but on the eve of Mother’s Day I couldn’t help but think of those who rarely if ever get thanked for their service and the sacrifices they have made on our Nation’s behalf.
I thought of my Mom, a young Army wife during the Vietnam War who saw her husband off just two months after my sister’s birth. My mom never wore a uniform but that didn’t mean she didn’t have to raise a child alone for a year, nor did it mean that she wouldn’t be responsible for packing and picking up a household twelve times over twenty years. She did all of that, in addition to being a tireless volunteer on behalf of other military families. It was probably because she made Army life seem so rewarding, despite the instability, that my sister and I both joined the service.
First Lady Michelle Obama addresses military spouses, relatives and friends in the East Room of the White House for a Mother's Day Tea Party May 6, 2011. Dr. Jill Biden stands at right. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
Cathy McMorris Rodgers Cedric L. Richmond Chaka Fattah Charles B. Rangel
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