As
I have communicated previously, Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th of
each year and honors those individuals who have served in our armed services.
Specifically, Americans honor the anniversary of the end of World War I; which
officially ended major hostilities at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th
month in 1918, when the armistice with Germany went into effect. For nearly 100
years, our nation has taken time to reflect upon the humbling sacrifices made
by our veterans.
Today,
there are more than 21 million veterans, 1.3 million active duty service
members and more than 830,000 reservists, who have served or are serving their
country. These men and women chose to suspend their personal freedoms in order
to secure the joint freedoms of the American people and to guarantee the future
of the American dream. Not unlike our own profession, the burden of their
sacrifice is not borne by our veterans alone, but by their spouses, families
and loved ones. To our veterans, our service members and all those who support
them, a special thank you is extended.
While
Veterans Day represents the sacrifices our armed service members and their
families have made to protect our freedoms, many members of our own fire and
rescue service have made, and continue to make, a dual sacrifice in serving
both our communities and our country. Our MCFRS veterans have earned a unique
position on the altar of freedom that our founding fathers so cherished. A
glance at any headline or newscast reminds us all of the fragile nature of
these freedoms.
During
my tenure as your Chief, I continue to enjoy the regular praises of a grateful
community and many of our political representatives. This appreciation is a
direct result of the positive impacts each of you make on our citizens’ lives.
These moments remind me how proud I am to be a member of the Montgomery County
and Fire Rescue Service. As sworn public servants, we each enjoy a portion of
the honor and respect bestowed upon all uniformed services by those who have
served before us. Veterans Day is one of the designated opportunities each year
to remember the true costs associated with that honor and respect.
For
those who will serve in our stations this Veterans Day, I am confident you will
assure the continued readiness of our resources to meet the calls that will
surely come. I encourage both our chief officers and station officers to
monitor and support this readiness while affording our on-duty personnel an
opportunity to reflect upon the many sacrifices that our veterans have made to
guarantee our freedoms. I encourage all personnel to personally thank and do
something special this Veterans Day to honor a past or present armed services
veteran.
As
a service, we can offer no higher respect than to proudly fly the United States
flag honorably at all our worksites. In that spirit, I would like to offer a
suggestion to all of our worksite managers and station commanders that I
practiced when I served as a station commander. That is, to change flags two
times per year; Veterans Day and Memorial Day which coincidentally are about
six-months apart. This regular practice will bestow the respect and honor to
both our service veterans and the general public we so proudly serve.
Continue
your excellent work and thank you for your commitment.
Yours
in service,
Steven
E. Lohr
Fire
Chief
Montgomery
County Fire & Rescue Service
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