Veterans Day 2019

Today we honor the sacrifices that all the men and women who signed up to defend our country and all the freedoms we enjoy and quite frankly demand from our country. Some of these men and women paid the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield and for that will thank you and your families for the courage they showed in the face of war, but we still have an average of 22 men and women that pay the ultimate sacrifice everyday here in this country.

The United States sees an average of 22 men and women veterans committing suicide every day due to their inability to cope with life after serving our country and going to war. Sometimes these men and women come home visibly broken on the outside, but what we don't get to see is how many of these men and women come home broken on the inside. They struggle with everyday life. They sometimes make it home physically but don't make it all the way back home mentally and emotionally. Many of them suffer from PTSD and never recover and ultimately give up.

There is not enough care and awareness out there for these men and women who need it so desperately. We as a country fail to realize that we have been at war in one form or another since 2001. That is 18 years of non stop war. The strain of that burden on our military has been monumental and even worse for the men and women who serve as well as their families.

So, today is a day of honoring these brave men and women. How will you honor them and help bring greater awareness and positive change to their lives? Here at Big Tree we are doing a Burpee Challenge to raise money for two foundations. "The Courage Foundation" which helps returning home veterans and their families and "Wheels For Change", which is a local foundation whose goals are outreach, education and awareness for our local veterans. For every burpee done today we will donate a monetary value based on the total burpees done by the end of the day. If you would like to donate please feel free to help. Any amount would be greatly appreciated. Well it is time for me to get back to my burpee count.