May always makes me think about what public servants do when the unthinkable happens. On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and Forest Service employees suddenly faced a landscape transformed in minutes. In the days and months that followed, they and other disaster responders helped reopen and clear ash-covered roads, rebuild damaged infrastructure, and coordinate with partners so search and rescue, emergency response, and recovery work could move forward. That steady, practical, mission-first response is part of the Forest Service story, and it is something worth remembering with pride.<\/p>\n
That same spirit shows up again and again when hurricanes make landfall, when rivers rise, when tornadoes tear through towns, and when wildfires threaten communities. Federal employees are often the people who show up early, stay late, and keep showing up, even when the work is hard and the conditions are uncertain. Across agencies, federal employees care for veterans, protect public health, monitor storms and hazards, keep air travel safe, safeguard our public lands and waters, support rural and tribal communities, and help families access benefits they have earned. Others work behind the scenes as contracting officers, grants managers, budget analysts, IT specialists, and administrative professionals who keep programs running, paychecks going out, and help reach people when they need it most. Whether the work is visible or not, it is real service to the public, and it improves lives. If you are retired, the impact of your service is still very much alive in the work being done today. For those still serving, you carry on that tradition into America\u2019s future.<\/p>\n