A Day of Remembrance and Reflection - S2S Memorial Day Message

This memorial day, S2S joins active duty Military members, veterans, military spouses, and military families all over the United States to remember and pay tribute to those who have fallen while in service to their country. The United States military is known and respected throughout the world for its strength and discipline, but also for the sacrifices it has made to protect both the American homeland and other nations abroad. In 2026, S2S joins millions of Americans in taking time this day to remember how lucky we are to be protected by our brave service men and women. For some, its barbeques, for others, its a day for family reunions, and for many American veterans, its a day where they think about those who died alongside them in American Wars over the last century.

S2S directors would like to take this moment to thank all military members for their service to country and the sacrifices they and their families have made while they have worn the uniform. We would also like to thank all those veterans we have worked with for their willingness to try something new with our programming. When we started in the Winter of 2024, we wanted to bring something new to the table with our programming, and we are so grateful to all those military members who have attended our events and programs. We truly believe science based nature recreation has something unique to offer veterans and military families, and we are eager to keep pushing to broaden access to our programming throughout the United States.

Left - Executive Director Michael Cohn | Right - Administration Director Adrian Stebbins

With each new veteran we work with, whether it be a veteran scientist, or someone new to our field entirely, we have been amazed by the range of our participants, both in experience and in perspective. We have found a real willingness to learn and work hard to accomplish our scientific objectives, tying back to our early theories that military training is a great foundation for scientific study in the field. As we continue building our reach and capacity, we encourage anyone who visits our website to reach out to us and take a look through our website. There’s quite a story here. A small team has made a lot happen over the last two years, and we will continue to be dedicated to making more happen in 2026 and the years to come. We firmly believe involvement in Citizen Science and Nature Based Field Science Programming is a great way for military members and their families to continue protecting our great nation, and a potential way for them to understand how their sacrifices protected these lands and creatures as much as it defended American citizens. S2S salutes your courage, and we keep it in mind with each new initiative we develop.

I know I speak for myself and Executive Director Michael Cohn when we say how excited we are about what’s to come in the future, and we will count on your support and interest as we gear up for an exciting summer. We encourage you to browse some of the photos from events over the last two years all over the United States with veterans, S2S team members, volunteers, and S2S veteran and science partners.

-Adrian Stebbins, Administration Director, Soldiers2Scientists