Newspaper people measure time not just by hours and weeks and months, but issue to issue. So it should not surprise me that our editorial staff is assembling our third annual Military Yearbook issue, but somehow that “third” is a jarring reminder of how quickly time passes.
.
Compiling these annual Toledo Free Press Military Yearbooks has been a humbling experience. Talking about service, dedication and sacrifice is easy; working with the men and women who live those ideals inspires gratitude and humility.
We are soliciting photos and messages from regional servicemen and servicewomen — at no charge to the families — to be compiled in our special issue.
To be included, email a high-resolution photo of the military member along with a short message to troops@toledofreepress.com by June 24. Also include the member’s full name, rank and military branch with each photo. Submissions can be of current military members or veterans.
There are an estimated 80,000 veterans in the eight-county area served by our regional Veterans Affairs offices. Add to that the number of active military members and guardsmen and you have more people to thank than you will ever be able to reach one at a time. In the Military Yearbook, to be published June 29, you will see scores of local men and women who proudly wear the uniform of the United States military. You will see photos of service members in faraway deserts, a world removed from their family and civilian lives. As the father of a serviceman, Army Cpl. Austin Pounds, I know we pray for the safe return of each and every one of them.
The stories in this upcoming issue — the brainchild of Toledo Free Press media writer Jeremy Baumhower and the product of Managing Editor Sarah Ottney and Project Editor Amanda Tindall — offer a glimpse into the services offered to our active military members and our veterans by several groups run by people who approach their work with the same righteousness and generosity as the people they serve.
We greatly appreciate the people who will share stories, send in photos and bare their souls to impart their wisdom. We thank the advertisers who are signing up to support this issue, especially Newsradio 1370 WSPD, Columbia Gas of Ohio and the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio. Each of these groups made time and brainpower investments that helped us plan this special coverage.
On the verge of our country’s July 4 birthday, we stop to reflect on our freedoms, liberties and the countless lives cut short so that we may carry on.
We stop to think about the families without fathers and sons, without mothers and daughters. We stop to think about the bodies without limbs and minds without peace. This issue is our modest effort at saying thank you.
Thank you for your service, your dedication and your sacrifice.
Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.
