The next big event for Veterans as a whole is Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. This day commemorates those that gave their utmost in the service of our country. Abraham Lincoln described it as the “last full measure of devotion.” It truly is the last thing that a person can give, their lives. In a way, this ties in with the major Catholic event of Easter. The time when Jesus gave his life so that we might have the chance to go to heaven. I do not mean to belittle what Jesus did for all of us, but the sacrifice is similar. As it reads in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” The similarities are profound and we should remember and respect the choices and sacrifices those who have gone before us made for their friends. I hope that you all take time out to remember and celebrate the gift that those people have given us and the opportunities that gift has opened up for all of us and our families.

            The Easter Season is our time to reflect and be with family and friends to celebrate the sacrifices made by Jesus for us and our everlasting lives. Take time during this season to reach out to others, especially Veteran friends that you haven’t seen in a while and check in with each other. Holidays are always tough as we remember those who are no longer with us and who can no longer celebrate with us.

            I have recently added a couple of new resources to the Veterans Affairs section of the AOH Website and I encourage all of you to visit the site and explore the resources available. There are many, and some may be valuable to you. If you have a resource site/organization and would like to see them added to the Website, please do not hesitate to let me know. I will, of course, vet the information that is submitted before I can allow it to be posted. I recently received some solicitations from organizations that wanted to be a part of our resource page. Upon investigation, one was a clear scam and one was a disguised solicitation for money. I will try to prevent that from getting on the website, to the best of my ability. In any case, if you are ever seeking to get help with something, make sure that you check things out yourself to avoid any pitfalls that may lie in wait.

            As always, if you have questions or concerns you can call me at (406) 459-3958 or email me at p.e.flaherty44@gmail.com and I will do my best to get you any help or answers that you need.

In our Motto.

On another note, things are starting to crank up. St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, and I know that we are all going to be busy with events surrounding the day of our Patron Saint. This year it falls on a Monday, so I hope that we can all participate in our local communities with our friends and family in a safe and respectful way.

One thing that I do want to do, is to force the Veterans Administration to acknowledge the contributions of Irish Americans to the history of our country by declaring March as “Irish American Heritage Month.” To do this, we need your help. The Veterans Administration operates a “Veteran of the Day” program that highlights a specific veteran each day of the year. What I would like us, as the AOH, to do is to flood the VA with nominations and see if we can’t get at least one AOH member or “person adjacent” (brother, father, grandmother) on their website each day in March and demonstrate to the VA just how much the Irish have devoted to this country. The website for this effort is https://news.va.gov/28415/contribute-veteran-day . Please help me to make sure that the VA recognizes the contributions of the Irish Americans throughout our history.

As I sit here and contemplate the last few lines of my article for this edition, I happened to spin around in my chair … and was confronted with a calendar. It is “Fire Trucks in Action.” That led me to reflect on not only the Veterans History of the AOH, but also our community service. There is a stereotype out there of the Irish Cop and the Irish Firefighter, and while not all of the stereotype is true, there are elements that give the story its kernel of truth. Throughout the history of the U.S., Irish Americans have been firefighters, police and military. We have also been teachers, grocers, clergy, bankers, union leaders, and more than a few politicians. Much of the history of Irish Americans is Service, whether for the country or the community. It is what we have done and what I hope we will continue to do into the future. I hope that in this New Year we can continue to live up to that and I encourage all of us to support the other Hibernian Committees, like Hunger Project, FFAI, Catholic Action and Pro Life and all the others.

I was also just informed by Brother Don Connelly, of D.C., that the “Hello Girls” of World War I are to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Thanks to Don and his efforts to get this passed for the history of World War I and the Irish who served.