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Memorial Day, for many, marks the beginning of summer. The first day to go out to the pool, head to the lake, have a Monday off and grill a few hot dogs. But in truth, Memorial Day is a day dedicated to honoring our military personnel who died in service.

Veterans have a special place in my heart. For many years I have said I couldn’t “play politics” without the sacrifice of our Veterans and those who paid the ultimate price for us to live in the land of the free. The reason I have always been involved in politics is because I knew a price was paid for me to live in the greatest country in the world. God did not make me a soldier (I would be horrible at it), but I can work on good policy and elect good leaders to keep the flame of liberty lit.

For 250 years, their payment for my freedom has withstood the test of time. Therefore, I believe in paying Veterans back in any way I can. For the last 12+ years, I have supported our Veterans by volunteering with Patriot Paws. I have had the privilege of traveling around the state to raise money and awareness about the impact a service dog can make in the life of a Veteran. I have even been able to use my political skills to work on service dog legislation.

My family is one of the “22 A Day” families. If you are not familiar with the term, 22 Veterans commit suicide every day. Truthfully, that statistic is probably higher. My uncle lost his struggle with depression and left behind three small children. What if he had a PTSD dog – could it have saved him? Could it have saved my cousins from growing up without a father? Maybe.

I have witnessed the impact service dogs make in the lives of Veterans. I have seen Veterans gain their physical independence, no longer dependent on family members to help them dress. I have seen Veterans who once literally were living in a closet, now live in the light, attend their children’s school activities and hold a job. There is a reason DOG is GOD spelled backwards. God uses these amazing animals to heal hearts and bodies.

To honor our 250th Birthday, I want to give back to those that gave us so much. So, as part of our first ever state-wide Armed Services project with Patriot Paws, I want to provide a deserving Veteran with a life-saving dog. When TFRW first adopted Patriot Paws as a Caring for America project in 2016, we raised enough money to sponsor five dogs, and we paid for two full dogs. Pictured here is one of our sponsored dogs, Fallin, who was placed with a female Republican Veteran by God’s handywork. Knowing he was going to a female Republican Veteran, I walked Fallin down the aisle for graduation with a Trump 2020 button on his vest! One of my favorite pictures is Fallin helping Sue vote! More information on Patriot Paws is in this newsletter. Please learn more about this amazing organization.

I do encourage you to have some fun with your family on May 25th—eat a hot dog, go swimming. But at 3:00 p.m. pause for one minute, reflect, and remember those who paid the ultimate price for us to be a member of the Texas Federation of Republican Women.

Jill Tate
TFRW President
“Where the RED Begins!”

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