Veterans Day A Time To Be Thankful

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again. Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause. Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Roosevelt

As we celebrate our Veterans tomorrow we should understand why Thanksgiving falls in the same month, and also why every day should be Veterans Day. There are few families who are not touched in some way by a veteran, a family member who has served, given their life, or played a role in making our country a great place to live. Certainly we are not without problems, and far from perfect, but we are a country that has fought for freedoms and strive to keep them still today. It is also our fight to take care of those who have given to this country, their families, making sure they are cared for, receive the help they need and making sure from the top down that they are respected.

There are many ways to thank America's men and women who serve, not only one day a year, but everyday. A simple thank you is a small gesture, but means a great deal. Perhaps you can pick up their check at a local restaurant, work to insure VA services are provided to those you know are deserving and help them fight to receive what they should. Letters to politicians and actions to provide support to our veterans mean we care and we are concerned. Teach your children to respect and support those who protect them and help them to understand how long that has been done so they can live today. Help collect things that are needed that may not seem significant, like sending international phone cards to those overseas, donate frequent flyer miles, adopt a military family for the holidays, and make sure you support veteran legislation. There are hundreds of other things that can be done, and not hardships for any of us.

Veterans are not looking for handouts, they are not looking for pity, they are looking for respect and life just like all of us. Veterans suffer pain in many ways, not just from injury but from PTSD, from losing family members, from divorce or separation, from financial struggles, they suffer the same fates as all of us, because they are one with us. Veterans face death differently because they have witnessed so much of it, and those who served in war time especially understand the ugly of war. We have veterans who were volunteers, some who were drafted, we have World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Iraq, and more, each with stories and nightmares, each with something they can share that we should take time to listen. There are no ticker tape parades when our veterans come home now, those are reserved for sports teams, which is a travesty.

Certainly there is not all bad, and everyone is not broken, but the fact remains that we as a country have to take care of everyone, our veterans, our homeless, our sick and our children. We must recognize all that goes on. Remember in New York, the contributions being made by veterans couldn't have been more apparent than after Hurricane Sandy. When the city failed to coordinate relief efforts the veteran-led relief group Team Rubicon used a data-visualization program to map conditions and coordinate efforts to help people stranded after the storm. Veterans know about creating order out of chaos, they are the folks you want in times of crisis.

War like any crisis creates a variety of folks, some get stronger, some it can destroy, some will come out and others will not. But for our country, war has created a legacy of heroes, a history of veterans who deserve a lifetime of thanks and one special day in the year that everyone will take a moment to really reflect on who it is that gives us life as we know it. Thank you to all the Veterans, thank you!