Forward Observer — The Cornerstone of Good Community

The cornerstone of a good community is its awareness and engagement in civic life.  When it comes upon war, things can sometimes be done outside of government and political processes which can meaningfully assist our military, our veterans and their families.  One way is to do fundraising but also to ensure the money goes to organizations that actually help military servicemembers from and military veterans in the communities in which they live.

With good hearts and intentions, we often overlook our own backyards. There is absolutely nothing wrong in contributing to national organizations that help the military or its veterans.  We are not implying this.  What we are implying is that you should concern yourselves with where your dollars go if you are concerned about the well-being of your community.

The Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council was created for a purpose.  It works locally within the community to address real, local military veteran issues using local organizations and manpower to accomplish this, though the influence of our ideas has had impact statewide. We’re not alone in this, but we are a regional, umbrella organization of organizations attuned to the military veteran issues of the day.  While we often we advise others of suitable organizations to contribute to locally as part of our responsibilities, we also do this ourselves through the funds we receive — ensuring they are used in initiatives we think particularly worthwhile.

Therefore, we are gratified when others are willing to acknowledge our efforts to do good in our community’s civic life for our military and its veterans — the latest being the Cornerstone Pub in Bath, PA.  But the most important point is that you wisely engage yourself in the civic life of your community to support your military veterans.

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RJH22 August 2013