Thank You to All Service Men and Women!

November is a month that brings a lot to be thankful for, which is fitting, as Veteran’s Day or Remembrance Day happens on November 11th. This is a day to honor all those who have bravely served in the armed forces in the USA, all Commonwealth countries like Canada and the United Kingdom, France and Belgium among others.

This day was originally referred to as Armistice Day, a day that would be dedicated to the cause of world peace.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1918, guns stopped firing, and the “Great War” ended. That was the day the Allies and the Germans signed the armistice that ended “the war to end all wars”; the day was declared the First Armistice Day.

Here at Essentia, we would like to say thank you to all those who courageously stand on the front lines for us. We’d also like to remind everyone that even this simple act of saying thank you to a veteran or active service man or woman can do so much.

There are also many simple things you can do to make a difference for veterans:

• Have you racked up more air miles than you know what to do with? You can donate air miles through Fisher House’s Hero Miles program, which provides round-trip tickets to wounded, injured and ill service member and their families undergoing treatment at a military or VA medical center.
• VETS Canada has a very cool Guitars for Vets program which matches guitar instructors with veterans or currently serving member of the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP who suffers from PTSD or other service-related injuries for lessons and a gently used guitar. The goal is to get as many guitars as possibly in hands to help the healing process.
• Again, saying Thank You can do so much and Operation Gratitude helps you take that to the next level. Operation Gratitude sends out over 200,000 care packages every year to veterans, first responders, and deployed service members. They have a great program that in which you can write letters to be included in the care packages. It won’t cost more than a stamp and will mean so much.

Getting back into the groove of everyday life can be hard as well, which is why many companies also proudly offer a military discount year-round, here at Essentia we are happy to offer 20% off our products to all service men and women.

Thank you again to all who serve.