May is National Military Appreciation Month

Get ready for a whole month of supporting our amazing troops. May is officially Military Appreciation month in the United States and furthermore, it's full of important military holidays and highlights.

Congress officially designated May as National Military Appreciation Month in 1999. Indeed, this is our chance as a nation to publicly show our collective appreciation for troops past and present. We are so here for it, an pray you are too! Join us in thanking our brave troops for their service throughout the whole month of May. Got your seatbelts fastened? Here we go!

National Nurses Week -- May 6 -May 12, 2023

Currently there are 29,645 nurses in the military, according to the Military Health System based on date provided for 2021. Indeed, military nurses provide vital and often life-saving care.

V-E Day -- May 8, 1945

Following five brutal years of conflict, German officially surrenders to Allied Forces. We take this occasion to remember Victory in Europe Day and thank all those who bravely fought for freedom.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day -- May 12, 2023

Our troops rest easier knowing they have a support system back home. Military spouses also serve a vital role in the well being of our troops. Indeed, without a strong support network, many of our troops could not fulfill their mission. Here's to you, the spouses who keep the home fires burning.

May 20,2023 -- Armed Forces Day

So what's the deal with Armed Forces Day? We already have Memorial Day and Veterans Day, isn't that enough? Well, Memorial Day honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, laying down their life in service to our nation. Veterans Day is to thank those who have served but have completed their military service. That brings us to Armed Service Day, a day to thank those grinding it our right now, every day for you, for me, for all of those they willingly protect and serve. Sounds worthwhile to me, so thank you, I am honored by your service!

We Remember -- Memorial Day -- May 30, 2023

Originally called Decoration Day and celebrated on May 30th traditionally, the current name of Memorial Day came into use following WWII and with the passage of the 1968 Uniform Holidays Bill Memorial Day was officially moved to the last Monday in May.

As our way of honoring those who gave all, we are also asking all of our supporters to fly their flags proudly on Memorial Day, and for those who have flag poles to remember to fly your flag at half mast.

Please take a moment out of your life to remember the sacrifice made for you. Reflect on these promising lives cut down in their prime. Truly a debt we can never repay.

Mama, Mommy, Mom

You get so wrapped up in day to day life here that it makes you stop for a second and realize the things that you miss
Nicole S. United States Army -- Deployed

Mama, Mommy, Mom, we’ve all shouted it out! Whether with excitement, glee, fear, pain, or love, we all call out to our moms. Our moms bear our weight from the tinies bundle they protectively cradle at birth to the sullen, sulky, ungrateful teens they guide through a myriad of confidently bad decisions on our part. Eventually, we all come to the realization our moms are awesome! In truth, our moms protect our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.

Indeed, from our first breaths to their last a mother’s love endures. Often moms are sweet and gentle, kissing away tears and embracing us with love. But do not ever doubt the fierce warrior that lies in wait to protect us in times of need.

An elite subset of moms even extends that warrior love to protect us all. According to the Department of Defense Annual Demographics Report published December 14, 2002, females comprise 17.3% of our current active-duty force, the report goes on to state this number has been trending upward on an annual basis. The annual demographics report is available on Military OneSource.

Hey awesome moms, we're looking at you!

As a result of increasing numbers of women serving on active duty with children under 18 years of age at home, the military is adopting innovative support policies. New policies address issues like leave, lactation accommodations, and deployment.

As cited in a release by the Department of Defense, "The over 3 million women who have served in or with the armed forces since the American Revolution have contributed immensely to the strength and resilience of our armed forces," said Patricia Montes Barron, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy.

I’m new to the Army and this is my first deployment so I don’t know what it’s like to receive a care package but I do know what it’s like to not receive one. During Basic, I was envious of my battles who received mails and packages. They would get so excited on mail days and I could tell it made them very happy. My name was never called & I felt sad, forgotten and alone. I don’t have any family in the US but my daughter (she’s 6) so I understood why I wasn’t receiving any but I still couldn’t control my emotions.
Natika P. --United States Army -- Deployed

Sunday, May 14 marks Mother’s Day 2023. Lucky moms will enjoy a sumptuous brunch they don’t have to prepare themselves. I Bet they still had to do the grocery shopping though! How about breakfast in bed complete with a few bits of egg shell for extra crunch? Oh, the luxurious life of mom!

However, plenty of moms line up in chow hall across the world. Even better, ripping into some delightful MRE freeze dried scrambled eggs with chorizo and peppers… mmm delicious!

How Can I Help?

You know you actually can do something for these moms, right? Why not pry open your wallet and bust out your credit card? It’s not too painful, I promise! Forgo your ridiculously expensive chai latte and danish for a day or two, that’s all it will take. You can send one of our troops a great care package that just may up in the hands of a deserving deployed mom.

Today, we shine our spotlight on our awesome military moms. We can all sleep well tonight knowing that moms got the watch.

Thank You FedEx Volunteers

Volunteerism is truly the secret to our success! Our secret sauce as it were. Nearly every week we are blessed with top-notch volunteers showing up to help ensure mission success. It may sound simple, assembling, packing, labeling and loading countless care packages. But believe me, we simply could not keep up with the daily requests for care packages from our troops without the assistance of our volunteer army.

What day is it? Tuesday you say? well, expect volunteers coming in from FedEx. Some are veterans, they have been here many times and know the routine, but expect a batch of newbies, eager, willing and able, they are going to require a bit of training, but we've got this!

Lucky for us, Scott Raab, our Outreach Director is there to do his thing. Without a doubt Scott wears many hats. He is tasked to mange, thank, instruct, encourage or coordinate everything an everyone, no big deal. Scott, is the Genie of the Lamp, but luckily for our troops, he isn't stingy with his wishes! Three wishes for our troops and done, NO WAY! Special requests, yup, we've handled them. Big unit needing support, no problem. Believe me, Scott loves a challenge and tackles them like a pro. "I am just really excited to see so many volunteers show up to help us out, it's just the greatest, " says Scott

We wanted to thank our recent volunteers from FedEx comprised of leadership management and supervisors for FedEx freight, office and ground in our region.

Crystal Light for Quenching Thirst as Temperatures Rise

Previously I mentioned special requests right? Recently, we heard from a group of soldiers deployed to a hot spot. Literally, it is hot where they are. Furthermore, temperatures are rising and with summer coming it will only get hotter. Well, these troops were hoping we could help them out. That tepid canteen water can taste a bit grim and they were specifically asking if we could send some Crystal Light. Can we help, oh yes we can. Thanks to a special donation we were able to fulfill their request and additionally offer some Crystal Light in additional care packages while supplies last. So quench your thirst with some refreshing Crystal Light, glad we could help!