{"id":36477,"date":"2016-05-30T12:55:26","date_gmt":"2016-05-30T17:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=36477"},"modified":"2021-01-20T11:37:16","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T17:37:16","slug":"owc-closed-in-observance-of-memorial-day-we-remember-and-honor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/36477-owc-closed-in-observance-of-memorial-day-we-remember-and-honor\/","title":{"rendered":"OWC Closed in Observance of Memorial Day \u2014 We Remember and Honor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The American Flag lowered to half-mast at dawn at OWC headquarters in Woodstock, IL.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Each and every year, OWC is closed on Memorial Day to honor the thousands of individuals of our U.S. Armed Forces that have given their lives protecting and preserving our freedom.<\/p>\n

In compliance with Memorial Day decorum, the flags at our Woodstock and Austin facilities were set at half-mast at sunrise and then restored to full mast at noon. We will also be honoring these servicemen and women with a moment of silence and the playing of Taps at 3:00 p.m. local time<\/a> and hope you will join us in this National Moment of Remembrance wherever you may be.<\/p>\n

Memorial Day has been celebrated since May 1868 when General John Logan proclaimed the 30th<\/sup> of May as Memorial Day (originally called Decoration Day). On that first Memorial Day, flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.<\/p>\n

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The American Flag before sunrise at OWC headquarters in Woodstock, IL.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The website www.USMemorialDay.org<\/a> is a great source of information on this important day and its history. The site tells us that In 1971, Congress passed legislation to change the recognized day to instead fall on the last Monday of each May, effectively making it part of a three-day weekend.<\/p>\n

Today, our nation commemorates our fallen heroes with parades, speeches, BBQs, and even ‘sale events’. To preserve the original intent of this day, I personally believe that the 1971 legislation should be removed so more people remember Memorial Day isn’t just for another three-day weekend.<\/p>\n

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The American Flag at lowered to half-mast at OWC Austin this rainy, thundering dawn.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

While Memorial Day is mainly intended to pay tribute to the U.S. men and women who died during military service, Veterans Day, on November 11, is intended to thank living<\/em> veterans for their service.<\/p>\n

To underscore the fact that all those who served \u2013 not only those who died \u2013 have sacrificed, OWC is proud to have sponsored\u00a0Got Your 6<\/a>, a nonprofit organization that works to bridge the civilian-military divide.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Got Your 6 does this by focusing on the six key pillars of veteran reintegration: jobs, education, health, housing, family and leadership. \u201cGot your 6\u201d is a military term for \u201cI\u2019ve got your back.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Old Glory to full-mast sharp at noon in Austin. Blue sky, sun shining.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Supporting veterans and active duty personnel has been something OWC has become increasingly involved in since Desert Storm in the early \u201890s.<\/p>\n

I am proud of our team and\u00a0the pallets of canned food, books, movies, games, general goodies, video games, and sports equipment we’ve shipped to units we have \u201cadopted\u201d in areas of conflict \u2013 all to show our appreciation for their service, and hopefully, to improve their time deployed overseas by enjoying some of the ‘basic luxuries’ those of us back home take for granted.<\/p>\n

We recognize\u00a0Got Your 6<\/a> because with the number of former service members continually rising, we all win when we do more to help returning soldiers translate their military skills to re-enter the civilian workforce and further enable,\u00a0recognize their ongoing contribution to our communities here at home.<\/p>\n

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The American Flag flying high at full-mast in Woodstock, IL.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It is our privilege and OWC is proud to welcome our vets to employment at OWC and glad to facilitate any transition need in doing so.<\/p>\n

It is an honor and a great benefit as our\u00a0vets bring their own unique skills, loyalty, and maturity to quickly and accurately analyze a situation, determine how to develop a solution and the ability to determine whether or not they need assistance and\/or advice to best serve our mission. We’re lucky to have these individuals on our team and in our local communities where their service continues.<\/p>\n

OWC\u00a0employs many veterans<\/a>, and another service member recently joined our team in Woodstock, Ill. Dan Marchik, who has served in Army Reserve for the past 16 years, had this to say about OWC\u2019s support for veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a veteran, I appreciate the support OWC gives me as an employee, as well as the overall support they provide to the military communities such as deployed service members and veteran-related organizations.\u00a0Please join OWC in remembering those service members who paid the ultimate price for our freedom this Memorial Day.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

OWC also continues its dedication to those who serve during years that the U.S. armed services aren\u2019t in harm\u2019s way via\u00a0Operation Support Our Troops<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 America, otherwise known as the OSOT.<\/p>\n

Recently, we also had the opportunity help a veteran and his family in the most recent episode of \u201cMilitary Makeover\u201d<\/a> on the Lifetime network. You can view that episode below:<\/p>\n