Mixed Feelings About Veteran’s Day

I tend to have quite mixed feelings about Veteran’s Day.  Certainly, I applaud and honor those in the armed forces for their hard work, sacrifice and overall bravery.  I know I could not do that.  I love my country, but I do often wonder if it makes me any less of a patriot because I wouldn’t or didn’t join the military.  

I was left with a bad feeling about military service when I watched my father’s only brother crumble into a life of alcoholism after he returned from Vietnam.  The same fate was in store for my cousin after Vietnam, only his poison was heroin.  He spent the rest of his life after the war on and off the drug and in and out of a very substandard veteran’s hospital.  Ultimately, they both died of the vices they picked up while at war.  Watching them waste away made me conclude –even as a little girl– that it would be best for me to give back to the nation in a way that didn’t require me putting on a uniform, yet I still have great respect and admiration for those who do.  So, as I grapple with these feelings on this Veteran’s Day, I do know there are things we could all be doing to help them more.

Some 260,000 veterans will go homeless this year.  The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans helps get them back on their feet.  Many veterans return home to less than a hero’s welcome.  Many come back withdrawn, bitter and stressed out. Give An Hour will provide vets with free mental health services to help them cope.  Help Hospitalized Veterans provides veterans who are temporarily hospitalized (and those living in nursing homes) with arts and crafts kits to keep them active and engaged.  There are a ton of other services available as well: like pen-pal groups and organizations that send care packages and letters to soliders.  You can even donate a old cell phone to help send pre-paid calling cards to soldiers.

Even if you don't agree with the wars they’re fighting, we should all help our troops and veterans have some sense of normalcy in their lives.  Click here for more ways to help.

Happy Veteran’s Day.