by Harriet Hairston
I served the United States honorably as a military officer for eight years. I have had to inform spouses and children that their loved ones had been killed in action. I have had to orchestrate memorial ceremonies for those lost in mass casualty incidents. In that light, as I write this article on Memorial Day 2010, I would also like to honor those on the frontlines of the cultural war that has been fought for decades. The war against marriage and family, the war that would tell people (African-Americans in particular) that the cornerstone of society is no longer relevant. I would like to memorialize those on the front lines of this war in this article:
Typically, the military has an order of precedence for their awards, and although this article will be in order of importance, it’s necessary for me to state that every person winning an award through this medium has probably helped save a marriage and/or family. For that, we thank you!
The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM): In the military, it is awarded to any member who serves during a time of war. As such, the BMWK NDSM goes to every married couple out there, whether they read the site or not. Marriage has been under fire for a long time, and any couple that can stay together amidst the onslaught of negativity deserves this award.
The Commendation Medal (CM): In the military, this is awarded to any member who distinguishes himself or herself by heroism, meritorious achievement or meritorious service. The BMWK Commendation Medal goes to every reader who graces the pages of BMWK with commentary about the subject matter we present. We appreciate you keeping the movement going!
The Meritorious Service Medal (MSM): In the military, this is awarded to those who act heroically or meritoriously in a position of responsibility. The BMWK MSM is awarded to every reader who reads, comments and shares the articles with their friends, associates and family members. Thank you for spreading the word to help strengthen marriages around the world.
The Legion of Merit Award (LOM): In the military, this is awarded to those in a position of responsibility that have gone above and beyond the meritorious actions associated with the MSM. To every writer on the team at BMWK (Tara, E. Payne, Tiya, Aja, Chef Tianna, Gwen, Jonesi, Marcus, and every guest writer), we recognize your skill, passion and commitment! Thank you for your dedication!
The Joint Meritorious Unit Award(JMU): In the military, this is awarded to units/teams that have performed heroic acts with valor, courage and honor. The teams on BMWK that are awarded the JMU are the Ma’ats, with their Bottom Line and B Intentional Series, as well as Kindred with their 6 is it series. We would also like to recognize other husband and wife teams for joining in the BMWK JMU category: Marcus and Gloria Whyte with Forever Healthy Marriages, as well as the Fred and Kim with the Making it Last Forever team. Thank you for opening your lives and marriages to us to equip us with tools that will keep marriages together and strong.
Medal of Honor (MOH): This is the highest military award possible. It denotes serious sacrifice, honorable service, selfless leadership and courage above and beyond the call of duty. Lamar and Ronnie Tyler, with their documentaries, forward thinking and endless passion to see marriages and families succeed have earned the BMWK MOH.
Please take some time out and let all these crucial members of this marriage and parenting site know how much you appreciate them! We memorialize them in this space to remember that one article, video or statement that was the difference between getting counseling or getting a divorce…leaving an abusive relationship or staying…killing that ungrateful child or disciplining him. We honor you, your marriages and your families now and always!
God bless!
~ Harriet
Meet the Team by clicking here…
Harriet Hairston is a woman who slips and slides in and out of labels (military officer, human resource manager, minister, mentor, spoken word artist and teacher). The only ones that have stuck so far are “wife” and “mother” (the most important in her estimation). The rest have taught her well that only what she does for Christ will last. There is one more permanent label she holds: “author.” You can purchase her first book, “Who Are You?” simply by clicking on the link. You can also contact her at harriet_hairston@yahoo.com.