Today we want to start by thanking all of our American military troops and their families. Here at GDS, the founder of our marketing services business, Angela, knows what it’s like to sacrifice along with her husband, Brian. You see, Brian’s currently serving overseas on a military deployment. And, it was his deployment, which happened within a year and a half of their getting married, that helped the GDS family stumble upon the RED Friday movement.
Perhaps you may not realize it, but the U.S. military has about 2.1 million personnel and troops. At present, nearly 200,000 troops are deployed overseas in 177 countries. Some of those countries include our allies, such as Germany, South Korea, and Japan. Still, for every military member deployed and far from home, that person leaves behind a family.
RED Friday to Remind Us of Our Troops
When Brian left his home with Angela, she was upset. But, our teammate and the company’s founder is also a doer. So she thought about what she could do to support Brian and all military deployed and their families. That’s when she stumbled on RED Friday. Essentially, to show support for deployed troops, people wear the color red every Friday. Although Angela hadn’t heard of RED Friday up to that point, she decided it was a great way to show Brian and everyone she cared about our troops.
Of course, the rest of the GDS team does as well, so we’re all about RED Friday! In support of Brian and deployed troops, Angela wears RED every Friday. Moreover, members of our team wear red sneakers or whatever red-colored gear or apparel as well. It’s a symbol of support and respect for the people who sacrifice to ensure that our country—and the world—is a better and safer place. Since starting to promote RED Friday on our social platforms like Facebook or Instagram, Angela and Brian have received many supportive messages.
In the process, one of the requests made of Angela and GDS is to share where people could grab one of the t-shirts she’s worn on social posts. So, we decided to make it easy, and if you’d like, you could get your t-shirt in support of all American troops, particularly those deployed. However, there’s more you could do. Remember, troops deployed have families. And often, those families need a little help and support to get through separations and distance. So, we decided to put together some ideas that you could do to support troops and their families.
How You Could Support Troops and Their Families
If you want to support military families, we have several ideas. And even if you don’t know any families in the military, you could still support our excellent troops throughout the year.
1. Support a Military Cause
Charity Navigator has a list of highly-rated organizations dedicated to supporting military service members and veterans. Giving to a good cause is always a great way to support the military, especially if you don’t know a military family.
2. Offer Time to Families of Deployed Troops
Military personnel and their families are a tough group. But, everyone needs a hand-up, a helping hand, or a time-out every once in a while. If you know someone, offer to take out the dog, babysit, or take a spouse or partner out for some fun and entertainment.
3. Get the National Military Family Association Toolkit
Are you looking for a lot of ideas for support? Well, the National Military Family Association offers an excellent resource for people in communities to support their military families. You could get the community toolkit here.
4. Invite Families Over During the Holidays and Special Days
When a service member is deployed, there are missed holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and special days. Those could be tough for military families. So, be mindful and ask them over for a home-cooked meal with you. Families want to share time, especially when they miss their person.
5. Support Red Friday and Share it on Social Media
Finally, support Red Friday in any way you can. All you have to do is to wear something red and spread the message on your social media. The more people see your support, the more the news about RED Friday and our troops and military families spread.
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