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Reflect and Honor: May is Military Appreciation Month

From the July 2016 RE Magazine Photo Challenge, Patriotism. Students from the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives' line worker school raise the flag at the 18th Annual Lineman's Safety Rodeo in Springfield, Ill. John Lowrey, jlowrey@aiec.coop.

While enjoying various Memorial Day festivities this month, I hope you will join me in pausing to reflect on the sacrifices of our country’s veterans and their families. I am especially thankful for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms their service affords us in this great country of ours.

May is Military Appreciation Month, and in the words of John F. Kennedy, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”  

At Coweta-Fayette EMC, we are grateful to have veterans within our ranks, and we are proud to serve veterans and their families within our local community. In addition to providing safe, reliable and affordable energy, we care for the veteran community and show our appreciation through our actions and ongoing commitment to them and their families.

We are not alone in our efforts to honor and serve veterans. Coweta-Fayette EMC is part of a network of more than 900 electric cooperatives across the country that support and honor our nation’s veterans of all generations. As part of our national association of electric cooperatives, spanning 48 states and serving 13% of U.S. consumers, there are countless programs that our family of electric co-ops has initiated.

At the national level, we support the Vets Power Us program, which is aimed at employing and honoring veterans, active military and their spouses. This effort helps veterans understand potential career paths with electric co-ops and in turn, provides co-ops with best practices in attracting, onboarding and retaining veterans.

American Flags on wreath at Korean War Memorial

The Department of Defense is one of the largest energy consumers worldwide and the single largest energy consumer in the U.S. We, like other electric co-ops across the country, work closely with military installations, providing electricity and partnering on various projects.

Not only do we pause on Memorial Day to remember the sacrifice and service of those who gave all, but the month also holds several other military anniversaries and events, including Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May 8, and Armed Forces Day on May 16. 

Coweta-Fayette EMC is proud to be a part of the electric cooperative network that honors and supports veterans of all ages, ranks and branches of the military. Please join us in taking a moment to show your appreciation to a veteran––not just this month, but every month.

Anne Prince writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape.