12/13/2018

Service and the Dignity of Work

A powerful message of gratitude from OSAE's Vice Chair Kimberly McConville, CAE

Two things had me digging through my father’s military scrapbook. First, we recently profiled a few military veterans working in our member companies. Secondly, I have struggled with the 20th anniversary of my father’s death. The confluence of the two got me thinking about service and the dignity of work.

My father was a paratrooper in the 187th Airborne AAA Battery during the Korea War. And when I looked through his scrapbook, I found a 1953 Christmas dinner menu from Camp Wood Japan. His service, like many military personnel before and after him, kept him far from home during the holidays.

I can’t fathom how lonely that dinner might have felt for a kid from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia had it not been for the companionship of his fellow servicemen. So, as I scanned the menu to find all the familiar holidays favorites like turkey and cranberry sauce, I noticed something remarkable.

Please select this link to read the complete blog post from Ohio Beverage Association's Executive Director and OSAE Vice Chair Kimberly McConville, CAE.