Veterans Day is a day of honor during which we remove our hats and drop our heads for the ones who joined up to serve their country and their loved ones. Veterans are the ones who put their lives on the front line for you and me. Members of the military are at this moment risking their lives for the sake of ours. Joining the Army, Navy, Marines, or Air Force is one of the bravest things a person can do, because every one of the people who have fought knows what it is like to feel real pain and sadness. They know what it feels like to take another person’s life for the sake of their own–what it feels like to watch someone die. All of these brave men and women deserve so much more than just one day of honor; civilians do not give these men and women the respect or recognition they deserve.
The Rand Corporation notes that in 2023 “approximately 1.5 million [U.S. veterans] live below the federal poverty level.” And according to EIN Presswire, there are 67,495 homeless veterans in the United States. I have seen men lying on the streets in Virginia begging for money or something to drink or eat, holding signs that said they served in wartime only to become homeless. I have seen so many people just walk by these warriors not even dropping a dime or an eye. It’s sad. I do not see how someone could walk past a homeless veteran without at least giving, saying, or doing something. These people have fought through hell. My grandfather was in WWII and I have heard stories about his time in the war. I know it must have been hard on him, but he is loved and forever will be loved.
Wars are fought over politics and the presidency. Wars take place because political parties do not agree, or countries do not agree, not just for the purpose of killing as many people as possible. But people do die in war, so the men and women who sign up are brave. I mean, we all are people, we all are human beings, after all: Germans, French, Americans, Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese, etc. are all people, and they all fight for the same reasons we do, to serve and protect the country, its leaders, and our loved ones. We are all the same beings and we all have family somewhere, yet it’s all tension, no one wants to get along, and the world is so corrupt. People need to understand that it does not take bloodshed to succeed.
Nearly every one of the men and women who fought for this country to protect you and me is traumatized or disabled–and many have died–all for a country full of people who are more interested in technological achievements and entertainment than in America’s health care system, especially as it pertains to veterans. We are more involved in manufacturing and consuming the new iPhone 15 Pro Max than in acknowledging our debt to veterans. According to the Pew Research Center, “about four-in-ten post-9/11 veterans say [the Department of Veteran Affairs] hasn’t given them enough help.” So many veterans are homeless, with no money, no help, no family, and no jobs, which is really sad because of what they did for us and what they gave to us. Leaving home, risking your life, and trying to get through is tough, and we wouldn’t understand the horrors of war until we stepped into a soldier’s shoes for a day, or even an hour. A lot of teenagers think video games, especially Call of Duty, is an accurate representation of war. I’ve never been to war, but I know Call of Duty is nowhere accurate to the real deal. During WWII soldiers did not have unlimited grenades; they couldn’t take 2o bullets to the chest, lie down, regenerate, and magically get back to the front lines. These brave men did not have armor plates, or auto-aim; the one thing they did have to rely on was God and their own will to live. These brave people knew what they signed up for, but they also knew they had a job: to protect their homes and families. Veterans Day will always be a day of honor and respect for every brave man and woman who served this country.
Lefty W Smith • Dec 13, 2023 at 2:29 pm
Excellent article on veterans