Sacrifices run deep for armed forces members

To the men and women who serve, thank you

To the men and women of the United States armed forces, thank you.

Yuma is home to many members of the armed forces, stationed here at Yuma Proving Ground and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.

These men and women are an integral part of the fabric of our community, from the hours upon hours spent training here to the flights overhead to the exercises around Yuma County.

They work hard to defend our nation, and Yuma is the springboard from which they deploy.

Our armed forces sacrifice much in the course of their service. Missed birthdays, anniversaries, time spent away from loved ones — all of this is a required part of the job.

And it’s a job filled with risk, because at a moment’s notice, our service members could be called upon to deploy — and that deployment offers no guarantee of safety. It could be to help on the scene of a natural disaster, or it could be to provide humanitarian aid and relief, or it could be to patrol and secure a combat zone.

The bottom line is, our armed forces stand ready to serve our country. We’re proud of those who choose to serve, and we’re proud of the role Yuma County plays in helping them train and prepare for said service.

Today is Armed Forces Day, which is celebrated annually in the United States on the third Saturday in May.

According to Defense.gov, President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to thank our military members for their service.

In 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced Armed Forces Day, which was intended to replace separate days for the individual branches of service. The website notes the single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the armed forces under the Department of Defense.

To those who serve, a sincere thank you. We appreciate all that you do, the risks you take and the sacrifices you make to serve and protect our nation.

Unsigned editorials represent the viewpoint of this newspaper rather than an individual. Columns and letters to the editor represent the viewpoints of the persons writing them and do not necessarily represent the views of the Yuma Sun.