Connect With Veterans On Veterans Day - And Every Other Day of the Year

Today is Veterans Day, a day when we all come together to honor those who have served our country in the past.

As a veteran, what I’m thinking about today is that invisible barrier that seems to have formed between those who have served and those who haven’t. Some would refer to it as a divide, but I wouldn’t call it that. I would say veterans and civilians simply have a different set of life experiences.

After the recent elections, President Obama said, "We have to remember that we're actually all on one team…We’re not Democrats first, we're not Republicans first, we are Americans first. We're patriots first. We all want what’s best for this country."

I look at things the same way as a veteran. Most veterans I know don’t want to be called brave or courageous and put on a pedestal. We think of ourselves as normal Americans, the same as everyone else. Our job was just different. Instead of helping the people of the country by working in a factory or being a teacher or accountant, we were in the military helping the country. But whether you’re a teacher or a dentist or a CEO or an Army captain, we’re all Americans.

From what I’ve seen, those experiential differences that have created what some call an invisible divide has influenced how people look at veterans - and how we as veterans look at ourselves. Now that we aren’t actively serving in the military, some veterans can doubt the value they can offer as a civilian, while non-veterans have a tendency to feel bad or guilty that they haven’t done enough to support veterans. Both of these feelings seem to come to the surface more on Veterans Day than any other day. I think it’s largely because it’s a day when so many tend to make a big deal about veterans. If people know we’re veterans they thank us or try to buy us lunch or coffee. Many veterans, myself included, are uncomfortable with this. It’s not because we’re ungrateful for the praise, it’s that we don’t think we deserve it, at least not more than other people. Why isn’t there a day when everyone thanks teachers or doctors or police officers?

What would be most valuable, and what veterans really want deep down, is to connect with people, both veterans and non-veterans. That’s what has the potential to create impact. There’s so much that could come from a simple connection - a friendship, a job opportunity or a mentor, just to name a few. And the benefits to these connections go both ways. Veterans have a lot to offer to non-vets and non-vets have a lot to offer to veterans. We don’t realize that unless we start really connecting and talking. It’s more than extending a happy Veterans Day, and the responsibility falls on veterans just as much as it does to non veterans.

Veterans Day is a great holiday, but I think it’s time to start moving beyond it and coming together as vets and non-vets every day of the year.

Courtney Wilson, a veteran of the United States Army and Bronze Star Medal recipient, is the founder of DropZone For Veterans, a free search directory of high-impact resources from private companies and organizations that help veterans continue to do amazing things wherever life takes them.