Veteran's Day

Honor Me - Let Me Tell My Story

I am an American, fighting in the forces, which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense. American Military Code of Conduct

Solemn words to swear by, don’t you think…they are not taken lightly, nor should they be. Where do you find individuals to take these oaths? An oath that makes no exceptions for upcoming weddings, no exception that you are off work on holidays, or you are on vacation, but requires you to be ready today, tomorrow, this minute

Sons and daughters from every walk of life…some dedicated to serving, some for the adventure, some drafted in times past. Nonetheless, individuals defending against ALL ENEMIES.

Today is Veteran’s Day, a day we celebrate veterans as opposed to Memorial Day where we celebrate those who give their all. How can you honor those veterans, both women and men?

It seems over the last few years honoring veterans is tending towards checking a box off on a “to-do list”. Wait, you say, I am doing my part. Yes, and thank you for remembering those who served.

This year’s Veteran’s Day theme is “Honor”. What is “honor”? West Point cadets include honor in their values Duty, Honor, Country. You may have seen Honor Guards posting the flag at ceremonies today or on other days.

You have the Army’s definition of honor as one of their core values as in: Honor is a matter of carrying out, acting, and living the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity, and personal courage in everything you do, according to the Army. The Navy, the Marines, the Coast Guard and Space Forces have similar definitions.

As a 20-year retired Air Force LtCol, I am most familiar with the Air Force core values of:

Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do incorporating honor in integrity.

Look at the Air Force Airman’s Creed which spells out “a tradition of honor.” All great words, but they don’t really capture the type of honor you want to show veterans today on Veteran’s Day.

Webster’s defines honor as to regard or treat (someone) with admiration and respect, to give special recognition to.

How can you honor our veterans, how do you show admiration? Let them tell their stories of serving if they are willing. You know I recently overheard someone refer to excusing a work related seemingly slight as a reaction to their work-related PTSD.

If you look at a psychologist definition of PTSD that might include a work-related reaction in a loose interpretation of what PTSD is. But on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being severely traumatized by events on a long-term basis and a 1 being a PTSD single episode. A slight at work would tend towards a 1, don’t you agree?

A one pales in comparison to the trauma of battle, of months of separation from family, life in foreign countries, life in tents, life in monsoon-soaked jungle in SEA or freezing mountains of Korea or Afghanistan, living in the distant deserts of Iraq on short or no rations.

Do you want to honor veterans? Let them or get them to tell their stories, let them release their traumas, release their stories of sacrifice. Some veterans proudly wear hats emblazoned with their service, with their ship name, with the war they fought in begging you ask for their story.

Stories you can Google from battles, to deployments, to daily mundane duties. You often only think of the frontline troops, airmen, sailors as the only veterans. Today, I want particularly honor veterans not normally at the forefront of veteran celebrations.

1.A deployed Marine seeing the birth of his first child via Skype while deployed to Afghanistan.

2. And any number of heroic medal of honor winners.

3. But also, the likes of 1Lt Sharon Lane, 2Lt Pamela Donovan, LtCol Ann Graham, Capt Mary Klinker,2Lt Carol Ann Drazba, Capt. Eleanor Alexander, 2lt Elizabeth Jones, 8 women on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, nurses who died in the line of duty in Vietnam not just because they gave their all which we memorialize on Memorial Day, but because it illustrates the need to honor all who serve, all who sacrificed.

What do you mean? These nurses did not serve as battle-harden frontline troops, but saw more wounded, mangled, and dead soldiers daily than frontline troops because all those dead and wounded passed through their field hospitals, ICUs, and battlefield trauma treatment facilities.  Can you imagine how many times they held dying soldier’s hands? Honor their sacrifice.

I singled out nurses not for any other reason than to point out the sacrifices ALL veterans endure in their careers from the cooks to the infantry, from sailors to airman, marines to guardians and guardsmen. The missed birthdays, family events, the remoteness from home, the battles, the enduring mental traumas or worse.

In the end, think of the veterans you know. Those veterans may be reluctant to tell their stories, but be willing to ask, be willing to listen, for in listening you are honoring their stories of sacrifice, their stories of heroism, persistence, and endurance. Honor them by listening to their stories. By asking their story, you go beyond the “Thank you for your service” gratitude line and ask when, what, where, why, how.

Do you want to honor veterans today? Ask them to tell their story. If they are reluctant, respect it, there is a good reason, but by simply asking you are honoring them, admiring them, and connecting with them.

Honor a Vet today.