Veterans

Sunday was Veteran's Day.  It's nice that we have a day set aside to honor those that serve and protect us, who sacrifice so much and sometimes sacrifice their lives.  Their families sacrifice too.  However, every day should be Veteran's Day.  We should be thanking them every single day.  We are able to worship as we choose, vote, speak out and say what we think and feel and we are only able to do this because of our Vets. 

I have many, many friends who are veterans.  They have made those sacrifices to protect our freedoms that we so often take advantage of.  They served their country and protected us.  I have a lot of family that are also veterans and I am so proud of them and grateful for their service. Some carry around the physical scars of war.  I have a friend who is a double amputee.  They also carry around the scars we can't see...emotional scars.  They can suffer from PTSD, TBI, nightmares, insomnia, alcoholism, drug addiction and difficulty adjusting to civilian life.   

I am learning a lot about vets and what it's like to come home after being in an extremely structured environment or after being in a combat zone.  It's not easy for them to make the adjustment.  They are going from having someone telling you what to do on a regular basis to having to make those decisions on your own.  Sometimes the simple act of driving is difficult for them.  They CAN'T obey traffic laws in a war zone.  It is too dangerous.  They have to do whatever they can just to keep moving.  It is a big adjustment for them to come home and have to follow the laws of the road.  One vet I talked to said, sometimes seeing a piece of debris or another car parked on the side of the rd will send him into automatic defensive driving and he will swerve to avoid a possible roadside bomb.  They are hypervigilant in a combat zone and then have to come home and try to adjust to not having to be looking over their shoulder all the time.

I have had the pleasure of meeting my new neighbor and getting to know him.  He is young, mid 20's.  He has been home from the middle east for less than 2 months.  The first time I met him I knew he was having some struggles, but he has a leg up...he has a job already and is trying to get back into the civilian life as quickly and painlessly as possible.  It isn't easy for him though.  He lost some good friends right in front of him and his father took his own life.  My kids wrote a letter to him on Veteran's Day thanking him for his service.  He wasn't able to read it in front of us because it was just too much.  It took him 3 days to get the courage to come over and thank us for the letter and he had tears in his eyes.  Every time I talk to him he shares a little more of what he's going through.  I am grateful to have the opportunity to get to know this young soldier and I am grateful for the sacrifices he and so many others make. 

My husband was not a casualty of combat, but he was a casualty of war.  Suicide among active and non active military personnel is on the rise.  There are statistics showing more are dying by suicide than in combat.  That is a terrible and sad trend and our military is scrambling trying to figure out what to do and how to stop this trend.  There are resources for help.  I have them.  Please don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it!

I will never stop being grateful for these men and women and I will never stop saying it.  THANK YOU!