According to the Freedom Salute overview at http://www.virtualarmory.com/, this campaign was started in December 2003 and has recognized over 100,000 soldiers, family members, employers, and other persons of importance. The website also says that this campaign is first and foremost considered a recruiting and retention program. I guess that's great because it is important to retain our soldiers and recruit new ones. However, is the Freedom Salute for the individual soldiers or the Army?
This reminds me of the Friends episode when Phoebe wants to do an act of kindness that is 100% unselfish. However, she runs into a problem because if she feels good or happy about her act then it isn't 100% unselfish. While an effect of the recognition of soldiers might be an increase in retention and recruiting, I don't think the campaign itself should be described as a program specifically for recruiting and retention. The Army might as well present the soldiers with their flags and pins and then their renewal contracts.
Does an act of kindness make you feel good about yourself? Absolutely. Should an act of kindness be performed because it makes you feel good or because it makes someone else feel good? Please, recognize my soldier and the sacrifices he has made. He deserves it and he deserves to feel good about it, but do it because you honestly want to thank him not because you have a quota to meet.
*Update: Read about my new thoughts on the Freedom Salute here.*
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