This Wednesday is Veterans Day, and for most Americans it’s just another holiday on a calendar filled with holidays that have little or no meaning. But for Rick Cope, CEO of Atlanta, Georgia-based NanoLumens (www.NanoLumens.com), Veteran’s Day is celebrated every day of the year. That’s because Cope, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer who served as the Special Operations Advisor to General Norman Schwarzkopf during the Desert Storm Gulf War, knows only too well the sacrifices that are made every day by the American men and women who serve this country.
“It’s all just too easy for most of us to overlook or forget that these young Americans put their lives, and the lives of their families, on the line each and every day of their service to their country,” Cope said today. “At NanoLumens, we don’t want anyone to ever forget, least of all our employees, some of whom are military veterans.”
Indeed, this Wednesday NanoLumens will be devoting an entire day of remembrance in honor of military veterans. Cope will convene a Town Hall meeting of employees where he will talk to them about the military experience and the sacrifices involved. The company has compiled a list of 25veteran-related organizations whose needs will be discussed by employees, who will then develop ideas to help these organizations as a company. NanoLumens employees, who are veteransthemselves, will talk about their experiences in the military and the impact their service has had on their lives.
“In the rush of everyday life, it’s easy to forget that we owe our freedom to the men and women who have served and who are still serving in our military,” Cope emphasized. “Every American who is not in the service of their country owes those who are a great expression of their gratitude. Thanksgiving may be several weeks away, but we can all give thanks to our veterans on Wednesday, and every otherday of the year.”