Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed May as Military Appreciation Month to honor the contributions and sacrifices North Carolina’s servicemembers, veterans and their families have made for North Carolina and the nation.
“We owe a deep debt of gratitude to the servicemembers who have fought for our safety and freedom here and abroad,” Governor Cooper said. “This month is an opportunity to reflect on the tremendous sacrifices these brave men and women and their families have made to protect our freedom.”
North Carolina is home to the fifth largest military presence in the nation, with more than 100,000 active duty military personnel and their families as well as approximately 725,000 military veterans.
North Carolina is home to six major military installations including Fort Bragg Army Base, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Marine Corps Air Station New River, and the Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City.
The overall economic impact of North Carolina’s servicemembers, veterans and families exceeds $66 billion annually. Since 2015, NC DMVA has served as the central coordinating agency advocating for current and former military personnel and their families, and connecting them to services, benefits, and support. North Carolina has since been recognized as the most veteran-friendly state in the country.
“Our State has a long history of supporting the Armed Forces of the United States and we are proud to be home to the Department of Defense’s finest military installations,” said North Carolina Department of Military & Veterans Affairs (NC DMVA) Secretary Walter E. Gaskin, Lt. Gen (Ret.) “As we celebrate National Military Appreciation Month, we remember the ultimate sacrifice of so many North Carolinians and those stationed here, and we express our gratitude to service members and their families and recommit to doing our part to ensure that North Carolina’s military and veteran communities are prepared, well-supported, and enabled to carry out their mission when called upon.”
Since being appointed Secretary of NCDMVA in January, Secretary Gaskin has embarked on a “Listening Tour,” visiting military installations across the state to learn firsthand about the issues facing the installation members and their surrounding communities.
Read the Military Appreciation Month Proclamation.