In the early hours of Aug. 3, the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council organized a group of national union leaders and activists to participate in the washing of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. As the sun rose over the Three Service Members Statue, volunteers received a welcome from the Vietnam Veterans of America, saluted the memorial and observed a moment of silence.

James Gilbert is director of the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council.

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. Many Americans will enjoy a day off with family and friends, perhaps at a barbecue or baseball game. Those times and the memories that are created are precious and should be celebrated. Since 1868, this holiday has served as a moment when Americans remember the men and women of the military who lost their lives to preserve our freedom.

In that spirit, I ask that you take time this weekend to do something with your family to pass along the tradition of remembrance. All across the country, there will be ceremonies at many of the 131 Department of Veterans Affairs cemeteries. The National Cemetery Administration honors veterans with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service to our nation. To find out where and when a wreath-laying is happening in your area, go to the National Cemetery Administration’s website.

The wrong way to greet our military veterans as they return to civilian life after defending the nation would be offering an $8.81 an hour part-time job with little to no benefits.

Walmart CEO Bill Simon said this morning at the National Retail Federation conference that starting Memorial Day, Walmart would offer honorably discharged veterans jobs. Simon pledges to hire 100,000 vets over the next five years. Right now, it's unclear if these Walmart jobs would be full-time or offer adequate benefits. 

A proposed bill in Ohio would require a court to consider a person's military service when sentencing for misdemeanor or felony charges, the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council in Ohio reports. A judge would have to take into account whether the offender has an emotional, mental or physical condition that can be traced to military service that contributed to the commission of the crime. 

The bipartisan bill, S.B. 330, proposed by state Sen. Joe Schiavoni (D-Boardman), passed in the state Senate 33-0. S.B. 330 will go to the Ohio House to be voted on before the end of the lame-duck legislative session. 

AFGE Secretary-Treasurer J. David Cox has been named new chair of the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council. He previously served as the council’s vice chair. The Union Veterans Council focuses on veterans’ issues and advocates public policies to improve the quality of life for U.S. veterans and their families. The two primary areas of focus for veterans are access to good jobs and to quality health care. Cox says:

The care of our nation’s veterans is of utmost importance to me. They have sacrificed so much to this country.

On May 8th, the Ohio AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council held its first lobby day at the Ohio Statehouse. Veterans made the trip to the Capitol from all over Ohio—Dayton, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Lancaster, Youngstown, Canton, Akron, Columbus and everywhere in between to lobby their legislators on issues important to veterans and their families.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks a decade ago, some 2.3 million military members have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thousands more continue to deploy leaving their families at home while they serve our country overseas.

James Gilbert, director of the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council, asks that we all remember the reason for the Memorial Day holiday.

Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday of May, honors the men and women who died while serving in the American military. It is a day for Americans to offer tribute and honor to the heroes who laid down their lives to preserve freedom.

Social Security is crucial to veterans and military families when those who have served our country retire, become disabled, or lose their lives. Yet Republican lawmakers have put Social Security in their sights, willing to trade Social Security cuts for tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations in the name of deficit reduction. But cuts to Social Security or privatization would hurt millions veterans and military families.