Honoring Military and Civilian Service

In the philanthropy and civic engagement world, we constantly talk about service, civilian service.  But there is nothing like Independence Day in the United States to remind us of the importance of military service.  The role of young women and men who give of themselves to keep peace in the world.  Today, Bob and I are on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid with our friends Pam and Tim watching the Macy’s Fireworks show over the Hudson River.    All of the military branches were represented in song including the Navy’s Anchors Away.  This reminds me of a fascinating keynote address that I attended at the annual conference of the Council on Foundations in Denver in April.  The topic was National Service, Civilian and Military.  The dual speaking roles were held by the newly appointed CEO of the corporation for National and Community Service, Patrick Corvington and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mullen.  It was a fascinating discussion on service to the country and the world through the military, AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps.  The importance of giving of yourself for a greater good.  There was also much talk about how the military supports the work of the social sector globally and the private sector’s support of the troops.  I think one of the most exciting of these initiatives was launched by California Volunteers last month called Operation Welcome Home.  In conjunction with the California Department of Veterans Affairs, these programs will pair a returning service member with a volunteer to help them acclimate them back into their community and civilian life.  There were so many lessons learned from the Vietnam era of what not to do when service members returned and this effort will hopefully have a positive impact on these returning service members and the community at large.  And last, on this Fourth of July, Bob and I saluted our fathers.  Mine served in the Army in Italy during World War Two and in Korea during that conflict and Bob’s dad served in the Coast Guard during the Korean War.