Ways to Support Military Families on the 4th of July

By: Jason Jowers

The 4^th of July, or Independence Day, is upon us in just a few more days. Every year on this date, we celebrate the founding of our nation and the history of the United States. And to properly view where we have been and where we are going, we must take the time to remember those who served in this nation’s armed forces and to honor those who currently serve to protect our freedoms internationally.

To remember military service members and their families this year, we wanted to share some of the many ways we have come across to make a meaningful difference in their lives. This includes support for military spouses, children in military families, caregivers, veterans, and active-duty service members themselves. Here are just a few of the resources out there that we highly recommend.

Resources to Support Military Families

The first we wanted to share comes from Zero to Three, a great organization that supports families with young children. This article, “Remembering the Needs of Military Families During the 4th of July,” highlights resources to support young children and families who are going through PCS or permanent change of station. PCSing is when a military family must relocate from one installation or base to another. These typically occur every 2-3 years but take place more often during the summer months each year. They share several tips on supporting military families through these times of transition.

Next, we wanted to highlight this article from Military One Source that shares tons of information on moving due to a PCS. They share access to consultants for scheduling your move, as well as powerful planning tools that help ease the stress of transitions. Also, Military One source shares several articles on tips and tricks on moving for military families.

This article from Romper shares lots of great ideas to help military families and to show support, specifically on the 4^th of July. They include ways to introduce yourself and invite them into the neighborhood. Also included are ways to support deployed service members and veterans living in your community.

Finally, PBS has this great site, A Capitol Fourth, which highlights all the festivities taking place in D.C. this 4^th of July weekend. This direct link is a resource list of all different kinds of military family organizations like Blue Star Families, Homes for Our Troops, and many more. Check them out for ways to support and give back.

For more on supporting military families during these upcoming summer months, stay tuned to our ongoing blog series and for all our great upcoming OneOp webinars.