In the United States today, we pause to celebrate the lives sacrificed in defense of our country. We call it Memorial Day. Other countries have similar celebrations. Since AVNation is a U.S. based production, and the majority of our audience is from the States, I thought it was fitting to step away from the “gazintas and gazoutas” and say something about those who have served.
My grandfather served in the Pacific during World War II. I remember the stories he would tell about the friendship, bad conditions, and some pranks they would play on one another. When he passed away, there was an honor guard present, his casket draped with the American flag. A bugler played taps, and there was a gun salute. In his passing, I had a much deeper respect and honor for my grandfather, and for those like him. It isn’t clear to me, even now, what that service signified. It might have been the ceremony, the honor with which the servicemen carried out their task, or the finality of the gun salute, but something shifted and I have never looked at those who serve the same.
Memorial Day is typically when we remember and honor those who lost their lives in the service of our country. There will be ceremonies across the nation at various locations. We should all take time to say thank you for those who have given their all. In addition, let me suggest we also honor those who have served and lived as well.
We have Veteran’s Day this is true. However, there are things we in the AV industry can do to make the transition between service and civilian life easier. One thing we can do is offer opportunities for these brave men and women who served their country. They have been trained and obviously work well under some pretty pressure-filled situations. If they can handle the front lines, they can probably handle your most demanding customer. In addition, introduce those veterans you know to programs like InfoComm’s AV Heroes Program. It is a program helping those coming back get into the industry with a pretty comprehensive training regiment.
So, to those who have served we say… Thank you.