Helping a Veteran! – The Military Family

The Big Dead Tree … respecting the flag they fought under…

The weather is getting a bit cooler, the days shorter, school has started and Fall is upon us! Veteran’s Day is fast approaching … The MilitaryAvenue team is busy preparing for Veteran’s Day with helpful articles, blogs, another Giveaway opportunity, recognizing veteran support organizations and much more during the almost two months preceding November 11th. Then I thought about how I had so much to be thankful for as a veteran. A loving wife (who moved 18 times and will celebrate a 40th anniversary in the spring) and family, a great support team of family/friends, veteran benefits, a church home, a country that recognizes veterans for all their sacrifices and the freedoms that we celebrate as a country!

Getting started …
But I get way ahead of myself as I wanted to focus on some help I received recently! We had a huge dead tree, probably a victim of the ash bore which is killing thousands of trees in our area, which needed to be brought down. It was more than I could handle by myself as it was 42 inches in diameter and about 50 feet tall. It was close to our house and driveway and quickly becoming a hazard with dead branches as big as a medium sized tree that could come down during bad weather.

Taking out chips with an ax! Ten years ago, … well, let’s just say I am not a young veteran any longer. I have much to be thankful for as a survivor – no, a memory maker of a military career! But… a bit older, some minor health issues and lack of endurance caused by some of those health issues meant, I needed help to complete this project. Help came in the form of my family and discussions with other experienced folks, a new chainsaw and a designated day! We were off…

The stump and taking in how big the tree was on the groundWe had to know! 42 inches in diameter.How are you going to celebrate Veterans’ Day? Take the time to plan an event for your veteran or join a group of friends and do something to help our homeless veterans. There are opportunities nation wide to participate but remember it can be as simple as a thank you, respecting the flag they fought under and a hand shake! Look for more ways to help and say thank you in future blogs!