Those who serve
Veteran’s Day doesn’t get as much attention as other holidays; much of the private sector doesn’t recognize it except as an opportunity to discount things and most kids see it as a warm-up long weekend before Thanksgiving. My oldest relatives remember it from their childhoods as Armistice Day when World War I veterans would parade through their hometowns. To the extent that most people reflect on it, it is a day to remember the past.
While the past is important, I would suggest Veteran’s Day is very much about honoring both today and the future. I am the son of a veteran and my son currently is on active duty, both of whom are part of my own personal today and future. I also happen to be the executive sponsor of FiVE, the Employee Resource Group for Fidelity veterans, their family members, and those who care about them. FiVE members are incredibly engaged, motivated and driven associates who constantly work to identify ways to help their teammates at Fidelity and their teammates on duty or who have left active service. They are very passionate about assisting veterans find jobs—veterans’ unemployment tends to exceed the national average—and helping those in need, especially those suffering lingering effects from their service. Service members tend to be all about service to their communities, even if their days of service are long behind them or if they are in the middle of deployment.
Recently I exchanged emails with a Fidelity associate stationed overseas with the Navy. I thanked him for his service and wished him well; his response was all about offering to support and advise my son, who is early in his Navy career and preparing to go on his first extended deployment. Pretty typical stuff—like his fellow veterans, not a word of complaint about his own circumstances or sacrifices, completely focused on what else is to be done, how he could help.
As Veteran’s Day goes by, I would ask everyone to thank those who serve, both today and in the past, and more importantly look for ways to support the continuing work they do to help other veterans, our communities, and all of us as fellow citizens in support of our future.
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#FidelityAssociate
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