by Tom Purcell

Every Memorial Day, we remember those who died during active military service. But the day gives us a special opportunity to serve those who serve us.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, nearly 42 million American men and women have served during wartime. Nearly 1.2 million died while serving. Nearly 1.5 million were wounded.

Since 9/11, nearly 7,000 U.S. service members have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 50,000 have been wounded – many have debilitating injuries and mental challenges that have changed their lives forever.

We may debate the rightness or wrongness of various engagements, but we know that freedom comes at a steep price – and we honor those who have secured it for us.

But we can do more. We can serve them back.

“There are many small things people can do that can make a world of difference,” said Jerry Newberry, assistant adjutant general at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

Such as assisting the family of a service member who has been deployed.

“Family members go through a long period of wondering, worrying and waiting,” said Newberry. “But they still need to deal with the car breaking down, a child getting sick, a death in the family. If you know of such families, reach out to them.”

Or write an e-mail or letter. The troops – particularly those recuperating in military hospitals – love receiving e-mails, letters and care packages. You can do so at amillionthanks.org.

Donate time. Your local Veterans Affairs office, VFW and other legitimate organizations are in desperate need of volunteers.

Organize a toy drive for children of deployed soldiers. Support the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. Provide gift cards to troops through aafes.com.

Donate money. You can give to a variety of needed services for military members – or support the Red Cross to provide basic necessities to service members in military hospitals. Go to vfw.org and click on “Donate” or “Troop Support.”

Lori Felix at Military.com offers additional suggestions that are simple and inexpensive. One is to volunteer to place flags on the grave sites of fallen servicemen and women. Your local American Legion or VFW will have the details.

Felix writes that holiday weekends can be challenging times for those who are serving away from home. She suggests contacting the community relations office at your local military base to invite a service member or two to dinner.

Or do something kind for a wounded vet. The Walter Reed National Military Center has a Facebook page that provides inspiration and ideas for brightening a wounded vet’s day.

CNN offers some great suggestions.

Some disabled veterans are unable to drive. You can volunteer to give them a ride to their medical appointments at Disabled American Veterans (dav.org).

You can donate your frequent flyer miles so that family members can travel to the bedside of a hospitalized service member. That can be done through the Fisher House Foundation’s Hero Miles Program (fisherhouse.org).

CNN reports that more than a third of the men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan “have or will experience post-traumatic stress disorder.” The Puppies Behind Bars program trains companion dogs for veterans with PTSD. You can sponsor a dog at puppiesbehindbars.com.

Hey, Memorial Day is upon us. What better time to serve the men and women who have served, or are serving, us?

MEET JUSTIN ELPERS 5^TH WARD CITY COUNCIL MEMBER

Justin Elpers, a Republican, was elected to the City Council in 2015.  Elpers has the reputation of being a social and fiscal conservative.  In 2017 by a bipartisan vote, he served as Vice President of the City Council.

Elpers has been teaching social studies for thirteen years.  Eleven of those years have been at Harrison High School.  At Harrison High School, Elpers serves on the Scholarship Committee and is the Social Studies academic coach.  One of his goals after getting elected was to get his students more active in their local government.  His social media posts you will find his students picking up trash in the community, & giving informative presentations.  

Justin is married to Alisann Elpers.  They have been married for over 11 years and have 4 children.  Their children are James 10, Patrick 7, Charlie 5 and Anni June 13 months.  They are members of Good Shepherd Catholic Church.  For fun, they like to play family soccer games in the backyard, swim and have a family movie night.   

Justin is a strong proponent of small government and keeping taxes low.  During the 2017 & 2018 Budget Hearings, Elpers proposed large cuts to the budget to solve the negative balances and voted no on both the property tax increase and the income tax increase.

Elpers believes in holding groups accountable.  For example, ECHO housing is currently under investigation because their director improperly used taxpayer funds for personal use. As a result, Elpers drafted a finance ordinance to withhold taxpayer funds to ECHO housing until after the investigation has concluded.  

Having a strong economy is also important to Elpers.  He strongly supported relaxing the parking requirements in the new Overlay Zone for Franklin St.  The new Overlay Zone for Franklin St. will attract new business growth and create more jobs.  Tax-Abatement is another economic tool Elpers supports.  Working with the Growth Alliance, Elpers has approved Tax Abatement status for TaylorMade Golf, Berry Global, & Imperial Fasteners.  As a result, these companies will make over $75 million in investments and create over 200+ jobs.  

Justin Elpers is principled, trustworthy, & hardworking.  He has a strong faith in God and always puts his family first.  

By Michael Leppert
michaelleppert.com

As we head into one of our nation’s great national holiday weekends, the National Football League is at it again.

On Tuesday, Roger Goodell, the NFL’s commissioner, announced that league owners had unanimously approved a new policy regarding players and the national anthem. The new policy will require all players on the field during the playing of the anthem to stand. Failure to do so will make any player subject to fines from the league. Individual teams may also discipline players further under the new policy. Players may stay off the field in the locker room as an alternative to not standing.

The NFL has every right to run its business the way the owners of the business want it run.

Except that there is an active collective bargaining agreement in place with the NFL Players Association, who is not a party to any addendum to this new personal rule. I’m not sure the NFLPA agrees with the new rule, which in this case, actually does matter.

Be that as it may, for the most part, this controversy really does feel like rich people arguing with each other.

Except that the respectful manner of protesting by kneeling during the anthem was an effort to bring light to real American problems. Those being police brutality against people of color and inequality in criminal justice. It may be the most respectful way I can recall any celebrity using a platform to raise awareness. Still, the NFL has decided it did not have the courage to tolerate it.

Vice President Mike Pence quickly announced approval of it all in a retweet of the CNN story on the matter with only this comment: “#winning.” I am not sure what Pence believes he is winning, or what is being won by anyone with this policy. I found the message to be in his office.

Except that the next day, while President Donald Trump was celebrating the apparent “win” in a contest that wasn’t even happening, he went one more step. He went on to say on Fox News that he doesn’t “think people should be staying in the locker rooms.” As petty as Pence was, Trump went lower.

Trump continued with “you have to stand proudly for the national anthem or you shouldn’t be playing. You shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country.”

And that is the best example of why the NFL made a mistake with their new policy. The fake “respect” won’t ever be enough for those who demanded it in the first place.

On Thursday, news started to come out that the owners didn’t actually take an official vote on the policy. At least two owners announced their intent to abstain from voting on it. So, the announcement of the “unanimous” vote is inaccurate. While that spin-gone-wrong is a little embarrassing for Goodell, it is still not as embarrassing as the policy itself.

On March 26, the NFL committed to implementing a local matching-funds component of the league’s social justice initiative. It committed $90 million to the cause. This effort was finalized this week as well but obviously was overshadowed by the politically charged anthem rule. The commitment and the money actually could make a difference.

Except that the other mistake has stolen the moment. The White House believes standing for the anthem is more important than actually doing something on the issue that started this debate. Sad.

Also this week, Milwaukee police released a body camera video of the arrest and tasing of NBA player Sterling Brown. The release brought with it an apology by the Milwaukee chief of police and disciplinary action for the officers involved. Finding a way to end these things in modern America is more important to me than any flag or any song.

I stand for the anthem and I love our flag. I will stand with authentic respect for it with 250,000 people on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And all of us who do will have chosen to do so.

It will be the greatest spectacle in anthem standing anywhere this entire year.

Roger Goodell cannot make the employees of the NFL respect the anthem and the flag. Neither can Trump or Pence. Respect for things is a personal choice that each individual makes countless times a day. We can’t force people to feel one way or another.

The protest was respectful. Americans should appreciate its peacefulness and its mission. Instead, a leading national business has decided to fake it. And in the process pretend our flag and our song are more important than our people.

FOOTNOTE: Michael Leppert is a public and governmental affairs consultant in Indianapolis and writes his thoughts about politics, government and anything else that strikes him at MichaelLeppert.com.