ShareThisNovember 11, Thursday, was Veterans Day and US soldiers the world over have been honored and the dead commemorated in various ceremonies fit for heroes.
President Barack Obama, currently on his Asian tour, celebrated the special day with US soldiers and their families in Seoul, Korea where he laid a wreath for some 36,000 plus fallen American soldiers who were laid to rest in that part of the globe.
On occasions like this, it is not uncommon to hear from our officials, words extolling the courage and heroic sacrifices of these men and women in uniform and the extraordinary share of sacrifices and pain of their families. In the President’s words, it is these family members “who bear the burden of your loved one’s service in ways that often immeasurable – an empty chair at the dinner table or another holiday where mom and dad are someplace far away.”
Speaking on behalf of his people, President Obama said that “this nation recognizes the sacrifices of families, as well… and for your service, as well.”
But honoring our men and women in uniform, they who have paid and continue to pay the highest price for our country’s wars, is nothing if it ends with the rhetoric. A corresponding act of gratitude and recognition of their utmost service and sacrifice must back up the rhetoric or it would be empty and meaningless.
The President reiterated that it’s about how we treat our veterans every single day and not just on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. “It’s about making sure they have the care they need and the benefits that they’ve earned when they come home,” he said.
Thus, President Obama laid down the things he and his administration have so far done for these men and women in uniform: He had asked for one of the largest increases in the VA budget in the past 30 years. He increased dramatically the funding for veterans’ health care. He is making sure that wounded warriors get improved care, especially those with Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury. His veterans initiatives have also resulted in “fewer homeless veterans on the streets than there were two years ago.” Today, there are also nearly 400,000 veterans and their families who go to college because of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.
As private citizens, it is our moral duty to help make life better and a little bit easier for our soldiers in every way we can. There are countless ways we can do this if we honestly try. The internet is a great resource for those who want to volunteer or do something for these our heroes, especially during the holidays.
Let’s try to return these brave men and women’s patriotic fervor with acts of gratitude and thanksgiving. Let’s stand up for them here at home as they carry on their fight oceans and continents away. And pray we must everyday for our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, who continue to be in harms way. Veterans Day or not, let’s keep our soldiers in our hearts.