Remembering Our Fallen Service Members and Caring for Our Veterans

Remembering Our Fallen Service Members and Caring for Our Veterans

Like millions of people across our state and nation this Memorial Day, we at Gilchrist want to express our enduring gratitude for those who paid the ultimate price to support and defend the Constitution and all of us. We also want to recognize and thank our active military service members and veterans, as well as those who support and care for them.

One way that we at Gilchrist show our gratitude for our service members past and present is by providing military veterans with the very best care and service we possibly can not only on Memorial Day, but every day. We do so through our “We Honor Veterans” program.

On this Memorial Day, we would like to share a message with veterans and their loved ones throughout Maryland and the United States. We urge you to share it with others if you find in helpful

It likely goes without saying that to experience war is to experience trauma. What does require saying is that trauma is a wound every bit as serious as visible wounds. Trauma is no more likely to simply go away without medical attention than any other grievous battlefield injuries. And yet too many do not seek the attention they need.

The reasons are many:

• People don’t recognize they are suffering from trauma.
• They’re unwilling to admit that they need help.
• They are unaware that there are proven treatments and that those treatments are accessible to them.
• And then there’s the all-too-human reason: The belief that it will go away on its own.

It will not. Left untreated, trauma will fester and kill — psychologically, physically, or both.

We ask those of you who think otherwise to reflect on something the great writer William Faulkner correctly observed years ago. He wrote: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

Even trauma from the long-ago past remains very much alive in the present. That’s the troubling news. The good news is that the possibility of healing is also present and available to you. Please, take the time, make the commitment, to serve yourself and your family by seeking care.

Consulting a therapist doesn’t suggest a person is weak. It confirms that they are wise and wedded to doing all they can to live their best lives for themselves and their loved ones.

Another proven way to address trauma is to get involved in meaningful pursuits such as volunteering. We can’t help but make a shameless plug for Gilchrist’s “We Honor Veterans.” Our volunteer veterans are always looking for a few good women and men to get involved in support of their … your … our … fellow servicemen and women.

You and your families sacrificed so much so that we the people might enjoy peace. We want you to know and to remember that you deserve to enjoy the same. That is what we want for you above all else.

We wish you a safe and meaningful Memorial Day.