Veteran's Day. The day when a grateful nation recognizes the service and sacrifice made by those who have chosen to defend freedom.
As we celebrate with our parades and ceremonies, flags and thank you's, keep in mind that for some, the battle still rages within.
For some, the sacrifices beyond the obvious will never be known outside the bonds of shared experience, sometimes horrific, and sometimes at the cost of a piece of their soul.
War wreaks havoc on the heart and soul, clinging to the conscience, for sometimes decades, after the return home. The trauma isn't always physical; the wounds inflicted by armed conflict can be etched permanently into the emotions, the memory, or into the very being of the bravest of volunteers.
Sometimes a "thank you for your service" is all that's needed to plunge a vet back into the horrors of war; our intentional yet potentially ignorant gratitude reawakening the demons that have taken God-only-knows how long to subdue.
Maybe it's time to return the favor. Instead of blindly thanking our vets, maybe it's time we stood in the ever-widening gap for them.
The Veteran's Administration is sinking faster than the Titanic with the growing burden of vets returning from an ideological war that seems to never end; a war that, fittingly, and by nature, is causing just as much emotional damage as physical disabilities.
Are you really thankful for our veterans' service? Offer more than lip service with your thanks:
Fight for the resources needed to help our vets.
Fight for the organizations that provide for the emotional and mental health of the vets who so desperately need it.
Fight for the lesser known non-profits who are doing the most for our vets,who are maximizing every cent creatively for the maximum benefit.
Fight for the proper spiritual training for those who are called to help those whose injuries concern the conscience.
Our green light bulbs and our purchased t-shirts, while raising awareness, can not, nor will they ever, take the place of us standing in the gap for our vets.
We must remember that raising awareness for the issues and struggles our vets face is a whole different animal than being there, in the struggle, with our vets. We are sadly mistaken if we think that by doing one, we're helping the other.
Our vets need to know they are not alone... not alone in their experiences, not alone in their trauma, not alone in their coping, and not alone in the battles they wage within.
A green light bulb will never give a troubled vet peace, only the presence of a non-judgemental and caring friend can do that. And that will always mean more than the generic, blanket gratitude from a stranger.
To my brothers and sisters in arms: you are not alone.
