Shake Hands with a Hero!

Thank you to Procter & Gamble, Kroger and the USO for sponsoring this blog post and the Shake Hands With A Hero initiative. Please click here to learn more about this program. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Last month, we went to the horse races. Everyone knows the Kentucky Derby, but Lexington locals flock to Keeneland Thoroughbred Racing and Sales for the 4-week spring meet and the 4-week fall meet.

Military Appreciation Day at Keeneland always falls on a Sunday during the month of racing and always features recent basic training graduates from the closest military installation, Ft. Knox. Hundreds of men and women who have survived rigorous training, isolation from loved ones, and complete re-molding pour into Keeneland for one day at the races.

 Taken with our point and shoot and not the big fancy camera, you can just barely make out a line of Soldiers on the inside track at Keeneland.

And it is our opportunity, as a local community that supports them, to thank them for their service…buy them lunch…offer our cell phones so that they can call home for the first time…prove that they are appreciated for the sacrifices they have already made and the ones they will be asked to make.

 Marching into Keeneland as we stand to salute them. Via Keeneland

Except…I never do. I am shy and I admit that it’s completely ridiculous. How can I encourage other civilians to openly thank our troops if I can’t do it? And I'm an Army Wife! As Soldiers spilled out of Keeneland on that atypically tropical April day, I wanted to clap…I wanted to scream thank you…I wanted to hug one or two or all of them. But I was paralyzed by the thought of being the only one. What if everyone looked at me like I was an idiot? What if I wasn’t supposed to do that while they were moving in formation? So, I stood still and at attention, showing them all the respect, but doing so silently.

I have had several readers over the past couple of years tell me that they suffer from the same paralysis. They see a Soldier in the Atlanta airport and they want to shake their hand, but fear of looking like a bumbling moron stops them. They give them a nod instead and move on. Neal tells me that Soldiers see and appreciate that nod, too. They appreciate any recognition of their service to this country. And now, Procter and Gamble, Kroger, and the USO are giving us the opportunity to virtually “shake hands with a hero.” The first 50,000 grateful Americans to utilize the Microsoft app at Honoring Our Heroes to shake a hero’s hand will receive a coupon loaded to their Kroger card for $1.00 off a P&G product. Do it for the coupon. But also do it because it’s our first step toward physically shaking a hero’s hand.

In addition to providing this opportunity to thank our troops, Kroger and its family of stores and Procter & Gamble are teaming up to support the USO and donate $250,000! We utilize the USO almost every time we travel…from picking up books to take on the plane to grabbing a snack during a layover. Many servicemembers in transit also nap, eat, read, watch TV, and call loved ones at the USO, which is staffed by volunteers. This is in addition to the extensive range of programs at more than 160 locations in 27 states and 14 countries, and at hundreds of entertainment events each year. I am proud of Kroger and Procter & Gamble for choosing such a worthy organization to receive their time, money, and recognition. 

So, now it's your turn. Grab the button for your own blog, tweet it (#shakehandswithahero), Facebook it, share the love. But above all, click on the badge below to shake hands with our nation's heroes. You will be asked to enter your name, city and state, and then choose the military branch that you would like to honor. Once you have chosen a man or woman to thank, you can share it with your friends! The entire process takes 2 minutes and don't they deserve that given their lifetime of service? Thank you and HOOAH!