In 1996, the Armed Services YMCA organization designated November as National Veterans and Military Families Month, with the U.S. Government commemorating the occasion every year since.
This November, the Defense Department launched a new National Veterans and Military Families Month landing page, Military OneSource, celebrating the sacrifices and contributions of service members, veterans, and military families.
Falling within this month-long time-span is Veterans Day—first called Armistice Day in 1926—recognized officially on November 11, due to the eerie timing of the end of the end of WW I in 1918, i.e. November 11 at 11 am—the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
KRA is grateful to all its Veteran-Employees, and the families that supported them, including Ryan Rand, KRA Training and Communications Specialist, who volunteered to share her story with us.
Ryan’s maternal grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel Mayo R. McLaughlin, joined the Army Air Corp—which became the U.S. Air Force—in 1941 at the age of 15. He served in WW II, and in the Korean and Vietnam Wars as a Navigator on B-52 airplanes. During his tours of duty, he received a Purple Heart and several other commendations. After 34 years’ distinguished service, in 1975, he retired at Carswell, AFB in Fort Worth, TX.
Lieutenant Colonel McLaughlin passed away in 2001, and incredibly 22 years later, Ryan and her Mother, Irene, found his Vietnam-era Air Force Survival Kit that included amphetamines, Chap Stick, Dramamine, J&J gauze, malaria pills, and water-purifying tablets among other emergency supplies.
The Rand family plans to donate the Kit to a military museum or honor society, and KRA thanks them for sharing this part of their military-service history with us.