A local veteran is spreading the word about a simple, no-cost way to continue the spirit of Memorial Day all year long.

The U.S. Army Freedom Team Salute program began in 2005 as a way to honor Army veterans and civilian Army supporters.

“It’s a way to say ‘Thank You,’ which is something many people don’t do,” said Howard Richardson of Rockingham, a veteran and Freedom Team Salute Ambassador. “It means the world. It makes you think someone actually does care.”

Every Freedom Team Salute honoree receives an official Commendation package. The package includes a certificate of appreciation and a personalized letter signed by the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff thanking them for their support of today’s Army. The package also includes an official U.S. Army lapel pin and two Army decals.

The entire package is provided at no cost to either the nominator or the recipient.

“The mission behind (Freedom Team Salute) is to emphasize the essential bond between our U. S. Army and every American,” said Barbara Foelber, manager for the salute program. “We want to recognize the enduring connection between soldiers, their families and the community.”

Richardson has been an volunteer ambassador since September of 2008. He received 30 requests for information in three days after contributing a letter to the editor advertising the program in the Richmond County Daily Journal.

When Richardson fist got involved, he requested a commendation package for himself, his wife Mary and his two daughters.

“(My wife) respects the Army and she respects me for my service,” said the Korean War veteran, who spent the majority of his three years in the service stationed abroad. “She put up with me the whole time I was gone when she could have been with someone else. The wives and children of soldiers have to make a lot of sacrifices.”

Howard and Mary Richardson were dating throughout his time in the Army, and had to postpone plans to get married because of his deployment.

“It’s hard when your boyfriend is away for so long,” said Mary. “You can’t go to parties because you have no one to go with. You have no one to spend Christmas with. You just know you’ll get a present in the mail and you’ll send him one in the mail.”

Salute nominees can be honored for their roles as veterans, spouses, parents, employers or simply as supporters.

Sandra Elliott of Rockingham contacted Richardson to honor her mother, a retired Army second lieutenant who served more than two years as a nurse during World War II. Dorothy Cabaniss Allen, now 88, treated American and Allied troops in a hospital in India. She is a resident at the Hermitage nursing home.

“So many of the World War II veterans are dying now,” said Elliott. “People forget.”

Allen was barely 22 years old when she left for India. Her journey there took her across American and on a month-long boat ride across the Pacific Ocean.

“The nurses were all happy when they left California (on the boat to India) because they thought they were going to Pearl Harbor,” said Elliott. “Even though they knew it had been bombed, they wanted to go.

“My mother is a veteran,” said Elliott. “And she deserves the be recognized.”

For more information, email Howard Richardson at hrichardson1@carolina.rr.com or call him at 582-3583. Information is also available at www.freedomteamsalute.com. Nominations can be made on the website. Delivery of the commendation package takes three to four weeks on average.