National Military Appreciation Month will be held in May of 2019, and it will seek to encourage national unity by showing appreciation for current members of the military, as well as those from all past branches of service. During the month, there will actually be six separate celebrations which honor our nation’s service men and women, and these will be sprinkled throughout the month beginning with Loyalty Day on May 1st, and culminating with Memorial Day on Monday, May 27th. In Tupelo and elsewhere around the country, people will be united in their praise and gratitude for all these individuals who have sacrificed so much for our country. Anyone involved in personal care should feel a special relationship with our military personnel since the caring theme is a shared feeling of responsibility among them.
Loyalty Day
Loyalty Day will be observed on Wednesday, May 1st this year, and it will be the first of the six events scheduled to honor our military personnel. The month-long celebration will be commenced on this date with a reflection on the tremendous heritage of freedom this country has enjoyed for more than two centuries. This day is designated as a day of reaffirming loyalty to our nation, and an expression of pride about being citizens of one of the greatest countries on earth.
Public-Service Recognition Week
This week-long celebration runs from Sunday, May 5th through Saturday, May 11th of this year, which is the first full week of the month. The intent of this initiative is to honor all those individuals who have served our country in a capacity which ensures the smooth operation of local, county, state, and federal agencies, tasked with helping to govern the country. The many millions of government employees who have served the nation in some way are thus given their due recognition for a full week of celebration.
Victory in Europe Day
May 8th is the day set aside to commemorate victory in Europe, which actually occurred on May 8th, 1945. That is the day when the Nazi government surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, marking the end of World War II in Europe. Although this did not officially end World War II altogether (war against the Japanese Empire continued into August 1945), it did signify the complete cessation of hostilities throughout all the nations of Europe. All the Allied Forces contributed tremendously to this achievement, but American forces can take particular pride in spearheading the drive to end the war.
Military Spouse Appreciation Day
This date has traditionally been established as a celebration on the Friday prior to Mother’s Day, and that makes Friday, May 10th the date set for this year’s Military Spouse Appreciation Day. On this day, a number of special activities and ceremonies will be held throughout the country to give recognition to military spouses. Military life can be a difficult one for families, and spouses play an essential role in maintaining appropriate family life and holding families together. It is therefore very important that spouses be recognized for their powerful contributions to sustaining family life and keeping the Armed Forces strong and highly motivated. That in turn, is a big factor in maintaining the safety of our country, which means the essential role played by spouses can hardly be overstated.
Armed Forces Day
On the third Saturday in May of every year, Armed Forces Day is celebrated, as the single day of the year for all American citizens to come together and express their gratitude for military service members who have labored long and hard in patriotic service to the United States. All members of the US Armed Forces are honored on this day, including the Marines, the U.S. Navy, the Coast Guard, the US Army, the Air Force, and all those individuals who support the Armed Forces in some way. In many areas of the country, the entire week prior to Armed Forces Day is devoted to staging activities and ceremonies which are intended to lead up to the special day itself. While Armed Forces Week is not a nationally observed celebration, it has grown over the years to become a very worthwhile lead-in to the official day itself.
Memorial Day
Of all the six celebrations associated with National Military Appreciation Month, this is undoubtedly the best-known and the most universally celebrated. This is primarily because most people in the workforce are given a holiday on this day, and because most schoolchildren are granted a day off from their studies. However, the main point of Memorial Day is to set aside a single time of the year to remember our veterans and their contributions to this country. Annually observed on the last Monday in May, Memorial Day is the one day every year where the men and women who died in service to this country are recognized and remembered. Having given the ultimate sacrifice for their country, these courageous men and women deserve to be recalled at least once during every year, and people throughout the United States will thus set aside their cares for this one day in May, to remember our fallen heroes.