Emily Garcia |Staff writerBeing a military child was never easy. By the time I was 16, I had attended at least eight schools, including two different high schools. Unlike so many of my friends from civilian families, I never got the chance to grow up in one town and graduate high school with the same people I graduated kindergarten with.For a while I struggled to reckon with my feelings of resentment toward the military for uprooting my life so many times and deploying my dad for an entire year sometimes.Still, my mother had it worse than I did. Her business primarily relies on networking with other women, and every move meant losing not only her friends but her clientele as well.People salute my father when he is in uniform and thank him for the sacrifices he made and continues to make, but the same respect isn’t given to the rest of my family.Memorial Day is a federal holiday that honors those who have served and died in the United States Armed Forces. It is a holiday that has its origins in several of the battles of the Civil War more than a century and a half ago when groups of folks both North and South would decorate the grave sites of the fallen. One of the first memorial celebrations began in Savannah in 1862 to remember those who had died in the Battle of First Bull Run (Manassas).While this day is designated as a time to reflect and mourn those who made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, the men and women who have served aren’t the only ones making constant sacrifice. Being in the military or having a loved one in the military requires giving up a sense of normalcy.The spouses and children of members of the armed forces deserve just as much appreciation and recognition as their soldiers do.But as the daughter of a military family, I am here to say that we don’t need just a federal holiday designated as Memorial Day. We could do without your BBQ, your fireworks or your half-hearted patriotism.We need you to support legislation for military spouses and families.We need Congressional tax relief for military spouses burdened with multiple fees and costs for new state licenses and certifications necessary to continue their careers after a move.According to the National Military Family Association (NMFA) military spouse unemployment is six times higher than the civilian population and military spouses who are employed earn 26.8 percent less than their civilian counterparts.We need to enhance programs that connect military spouses with employment, to increase financial stability and growth for military families.Military families make their sacrifices in civilian clothes, but they deserve the same amount of respect you would give to a soldier in uniform.If you wish to honor the troops this Memorial Day, then don’t just get on Facebook and say that you do.Instead of spending $100 on fireworks, consider donating to a scholarship fund for military spouses and children, such as the Fisher House Foundation (https://fisherhouse.org), or calling your legislators to support bills like Senate Bill 306 that will help military families adjust to their new environments. Contact Emily Garcia at EMGARCIA@augusta.edu.