Letter For Support For Recognizing My Husband, Frank R. Gilman

INTRODUCTION: How many people have a Veteran in their family or know one? If yes do you help them or is it someone else’s problem. Well many people think it’s someone else problem, but the truth is it’s our problem.

Military and professionalism go hand in hand when it comes to anything. As for honor guard, you have to have it due to the encounters of others in the communities such as, sadden families, funeral directors and your own team members. When they are performing a detail, they aren’t just representing themselves but the thousands and millions of the other brothers and sisters that have served or are serving in the military forces. They are a direct reflection of the individual’s supervisor, the honor guard superintendent, the commanding officer, the base, and the branch in which they serve. We never know who and where people are watching from and yet who they are or who they know. No matter the type of ceremony, the size of the crowd, or the severity of the temperature will we not allow our performance of professionalism to be altered. We vowed to stand sharp, crisp and motionless and doing it properly will show the professionalism and experience. You cannot be or become a member of any honor guard without the discipline of being professional on or off duty.

There are many different ways someone can be qualified to be buried at Arlington. In order to be qualified you must have been an active service member of the Armed Forces, a retired Veteran of the Armed Forces, a former member of the Armed Forces who was awarded a distinct

Veterans make up seven percent of the American population, but they account for twenty percent of its suicides. Yes, that is indeed a real statistic, more importantly, what is the government, the people that ordered those men and women deliberately into harm’s way, doing about this tragedy. In light of recent conflicts the United States has been engaging in, such as the conflicts in the Middle East, a new silent killer of returning veterans, has become more visible to the public. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, has taken its toll recently on Veterans returning from the harsh

Arlington National Cemetery is located in Arlington, Virginia and is home to over 400,000 graves. Service members who died while on active duty, retired members of the Armed Forces, and certain veterans and family members may be buried there. Seeing the countless rows of headstones allowed me to reflect upon the sacrifices made by our U.S. soldiers. I have a tremendous amount of respect for every person buried there. Monuments, memorials and dedicated trees commemorating individuals and significant events in our nation's history are interspersed throughout the cemetery among the headstones of service members for whom Arlington is the final resting place. These people shall never be forgotten. Walking beside the graves allowed me

The ceremony and funeral was held in Zonnebeke, Belgium at the Tyne Cot cemetery. Thousands of families, veterans, and active military members were present in honor of all those who were lost. My parents were given a silver struck British war medal to commemorate my service. A headstone was also put into the ground in my honor.

Some veterans have reunions after the time they served with the people who was with them during that time. Anywhere a reunion is being held like, the beach or in a major city like Boston or Jacksonville, etc. Hotels will give big discounts for the time they served and they respect

The largest American military cemetery in Europe is the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery. 31 of those buried there enlisted from Florida.

Some veterans would return or not accept a medal, such as a purple heart, because they feel like “the ones that lost arms, legs, are brain dead, or even dead, are the ones that deserve it” (Terhune). They have formed groups to properly greet these courageous veterans and treat them the way they should be treated. They all agree that those are the true hero because they are the ones who payed the ultimate price. According to an anonymous Marine “A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America’, for an amount up to and including his life.” This is exactly what these veterans did and they deserve recognition and proper treatment for their bravery. “The secret war was largely unknown until several years ago when the first accounts were published detailing the efforts of the soldiers who fought and died in a mission that the government had refused to acknowledge.”(Reza). This is still a common occurrence happening and all of these soldiers deserve recognition. Although some files are being opened and talked about, there are still sealed files of Veterans that are denied recognition because “they were never there”. Vietnam Veteran, Charles Cross, states ”Until missions were declassified, it was hard to resist the temptation not to talk about these men. The fallen should've been given proper recognition long ago, but, like the good warriors that we were, we kept our mouths

The VA offers veterans with honorable discharges free burial benefits. Every year, millions in benefits go unclaimed. Some veterans don’t know all their benefits that are out there. Others don’t have access to the right paperwork.

This is a story of a young Marine that served in the Iraq War. He is a mortuary affairs specialist. After experiencing the horror of war and collecting remains of his fellow soldier, he returns home to America. Which he had a tough time adjusting to his civilian way of life. The story starts with captivating sentences that said “For a long time I was angry. I didn’t want to talk about Iraq,

I retain an increased value and compassion toward the military community since this experience. Our society praises and dedicates media to the individuals fighting for our freedom, yet fails to discuss the harsh reality that many veterans face when returning home from war – homelessness, mental illness, relationship failures, and inability to acquire a job. In an essence, our society takes military veterans for granted. We can support and cheer them on while they fight for our freedom, yet we neglect their freedom when they return to the United States. It stands truly heartbreaking how many veterans survive the war, yet find themselves struggling to live in their own nation. At the VA, I noticed that many Veterans, while appearing tough and strong, do not mind discussing their mental health and the components of life they struggle with. I noticed that while the veterans will state where they served and their purpose in the war, they tend to shift the topic away from their service. I am not sure whether this behavior relates to their humble personalities, an inability to discuss military information, or emotional pain. No matter the reason, the “brotherhood” of military veterans remains evident. Veterans connect on a level society will never understand. They are a family that does not discriminate one another based on race, mental health, age, or gender. After

A Requiem Mass was held for Kennedy at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on November 25, 1963 (10). Afterwards, Kennedy was placed in a small plot at the Arlington National Cemetery. Over three years, 16 million people had visited his grave. On March 14, 1967, Kennedy's remains were moved to a different burial spot. The funeral was run by Father John J. Cavanaugh (10). The honor guard who was at Kennedy's graveside was the 37th Cadet Class of the Irish Army (10). Kennedy was greatly impressed by the Irish Cadets on his last couple of visits to Ireland, so much that Jackie Kennedy ended up requesting the Irish Army to be the honor guard at her husband's funeral. Kennedy's wife Jacqueline and their two children were later on buried with

Blue Valley students’ performance exceeded the U.S. The national average for students scoring at the top level — near or at proficient.

I have researched this topic a lot, even watched some videos, but words cannot express the emotions that I would feel if selected to do such an honorable thing. It would be a great honor to do a wreath-laying ceremony. As a boy scout, I honor our country deeply. I was taught everything from how to care for a flag to how to obey an oath. In school, I am a peer mediator and on the student government. That alone shows that I am trustworthy and like to do what’s right. As I watched the videos of the two ceremonies (Mount Vernon and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), I teared up for it was too emotional for me to watch. This is why I would like to do it. I greatly respect our country, so to have such an enormous honor bestowed upon me would