Blog

Happy 243rd Birthday to the United States Army. The U.S. Army was founded on June 14th, 1775 when the Continental Congress authorized enlistment of expert riflemen to serve the colonies for one year. Nearly forty percent of all enlisted military in the United States today are a part of the Army, and fifteen of our forty-five presidents have served in the U.S. Army.

June 14th is also recognized as Flag Day in the United States. Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the U.S. flag, which at the time had thirteen alternating red and white stripes with 13 white stars surrounded by a sea of blue. It was not until 1960 that the current U.S. flag consisting of 50 stars was adopted. The thirteen stripes remain on the U.S. flag to this day, symbolizing the thirteen original colonies, with the fifty stars representing the fifty states which make up the country today.

June 27th is national PTSD Awareness Day. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Brain Disorder, and, according to the U.S Department of Veteran Affairs, “is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault”. TPI has worked closely with many organizations aimed at helping veterans combat this disorder. The Directory lists many of these organizations ranging from service dog groups that help veterans manage their PTSD, to art programs that let veterans express emotions through multiple creative platforms, and health clinics that help veterans and family members understand PTSD. All of TPI’s Directory programs are run by nonprofits dedicated to helping the lives of our military and have been vetted by TPI staff to ensure they are doing only the finest work and engaging in best practices that most effectively support our nation’s armed forces communities.

And, recently, The Patriots Initiative’s Chairman of the Board, Greg Hillgren, recently spoke at one of the WIT Matrix organizations, USC Masters in Business for Veterans. It was at this event that he had the great pleasure of meeting Julian “Bud” Rice, a decorated WWII Army Air Corps Pilot who flew the paratroopers into the D-Day invasion over Normandy. He survived 759 missions during his time in the military. Currently 97 years old, he was one of America’s “Greatest Generation” and has been married to his wife for 71 years. We thank you for your service, Bud!