The Few, The Proud, The Neglected

When I was a kid, Veteran’s Day was nothing more than a day to not go to school. Even though I was raised by my grandparents and I had heard all of my grandfather’s old war stories, I never understood what the day really meant. It wasn’t until I had grown a bit and actually started listening to what my grandfather was saying that I began to realize why it was important to pay respect to our Veterans.
My grandfather fought in WWII, in the Marines. I know that he spent a lot of time in Japan, and he saw the aftermath of Hiroshima. He told me stories of seeing the silhouettes of people’s bodies burned into the cement of the sidewalks, the way an image is burned into film. He had shown me his medals, a Purple Heart, a Silver Star and several others that he couldn’t even remember what they were for. He didn’t mind telling me about his time in Japan, but he always told me that he wasn’t proud of what he had to do while he was there.
I didn’t understand this, as I had always been taught that if you were a soldier, you were proud to serve your country. I asked him about it and he explained to me that to serve his country was the greatest thing that he could do and he felt a great deal of pride for having done his tour of duty. However, the fact that he had to kill other people was something that had never sat well with him. He once told me that back in those days since they were unable to televise the war, nobody really knew what it was like until they got there. He said that it was a horrible condition to learn under.
I can only imagine the things that he has seen, the way that bullets and explosives can disfigure a human body. As you walk down the street, you see the silhouette of a woman carrying a baby, knowing that is all that is left of two human beings, bodies vaporized by the blast.
We are currently in a war, and how do we take care of our current vets? When they finally get to come home, will any housing be provided for them? Will they get job placement or vocational training? How are we going to repay the people who were brave enough to fight for our freedom? According to the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients, Veterans currently account for approximately 23% of all homeless people in America. This is how we are paying them back so far.
So as Veteran’s Day rolls through this year, take some time to pay some respect to those who not only gave their lives, but also the ones that couldn’t get their lives back upon their return.