Veterans Day is a time when people around the United States honor the brave men and women who have risked their lives serving our country. The day is marked by parades and church services, but Mustang Creek Estates of Frisco is thanking veterans in a different way. The senior living community organized a card-writing activity for its residents, including veterans and those whose loved ones served. The handwritten cards contained personal messages of gratitude and encouragement from the seniors. The letters were mailed to the Dallas VA Medical Center located at 4500 S. Lancaster Road. Mustang Creek Estates of Frisco realizes the importance of Veterans Day and hopes these cards put smiles on the faces of the men and women who served in the United States armed forces. This initiative is especially meaningful to Frank Griffith, a resident of Mustang Creek Estates of Frisco who is also an Air Force veteran. In honor of Veterans Day, Griffith reflects on his service experience and the importance of paying tribute to all veterans.
“I think making these cards is a great idea, and the veterans at VA Medical Center will be happy to see the messages we wrote for them,” said Griffith. “The activity gave us a chance to express our gratitude, and I encourage people to thank veterans this time of year and all year long.”
Griffith, originally from Iowa, moved to Texas more than 50 years ago. As an Airman Second Class, he served in the Korean War from 1950 to 1952. He remembers his first weeks in the service being very hard. Griffith also recalls the challenges he faced after returning home and the difficulty he had describing his experiences because he spent such a long time away from his family, home and a secure environment. Griffith says it takes an extended period of time to learn how to readjust, and many veterans are never the same as they were before the war. Griffith went through a lot after he returned, but he ended up getting through it and opening his own landscaping company which is now run by his daughter. Today, he wants to remind people to help veterans who risked their lives serving our country get back on their feet.
“Being in the Air Force and returning home were both difficult at times, but all these experiences shaped me into the man I am today,” said Griffith. “I know many people have heard it at least once before, but I want to emphasize the fact that veterans need your help to get back on their feet after they return. Sometimes I felt the return was even harder than being deployed. This is one of the reasons I believe the cards we made here at the community will have a significant impact on many veterans. We all need to hear a message of encouragement.”
“We understand that people who have no military experience can’t imagine what veterans go through, and there are many ways to show them support,” said Candy Jiwa, executive director of Mustang Creek Estates of Frisco. “We feel an obligation to brighten the lives of people in need, and we hope the cards we made will encourage others to extend a helping hand as well.”
Mustang Creek Estates – whose mission is to provide seniors with high-quality residential-style assisted living and memory care at an affordable price – has additional locations in Allen, Burleson and Keller. Recently, Mustang Creek Estates opened its newest senior living community in Sachse.