A blog by ECC's Armed Forces Champion, Cllr Derrick Louis
Saturday 25 June 2022 marks Armed Forces Day. This day of recognition will see people all over the country come together to remember and give thanks to army veterans and those currently serving.
This month also marks the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War, making this day even more poignant, giving people the opportunity to also remember all those impacted by the conflict.
I have served in the British Army for over 30 years, so Armed Forces Day is always a special day for me. It gives me the opportunity to reflect on my time with the Army and remember fondly the servicemen and servicewomen I have served alongside, both at home and oversees.
It’s also a day for recognition and saying thank you to the whole armed forces community for the sacrifices and contributions made.
As ECC’s ‘Armed Forces Champion’, I am proud to support our Armed Forces communities in Essex through the Essex Armed Forces Community Covenant and the Essex Civil Military Partnership Board. We work with partners and military representatives to identify the issues, challenges and disadvantages affecting the lives armed forces personnel, veterans and their families and work on ways to tackle these.
I am proud of the work we do in this area as I know how much of a difference it can make to individuals and families. In a few weeks we will find out if we have achieved Gold Accreditation for our work as part of the Covenant. This would be a great achievement and honour and I hope to share this good news with you soon.
If you want to get involved with Armed Forces Day this year, #SaluteOurForces is a simple way for anyone to pay tribute. Just take a picture of video of you saluting and share on social media using #SaluteOurForces.
So lastly, thank you to all those within the Essex Armed Forces community, we appreciate all you do.
Get involved with Armed Forces Day
Read more on the Essex Armed Forces Community Covenant
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