A Few Things On My Mind For This Memorial Day…

Only because of the Grace of God, through His Son the Christ, why we do not have more of our veterans going ‘postal’ around the cities of our fair Republic; we are living in a time when men and women who have literally pledged their lives for this country and the pursuit of Democracy here and abroad… who, when their respective tours are done, many find themselves living in dire straits. And no political party, Democrat or Republican alike, can claim shelter from the mostly lip service uttered to help our veterans - O how I wished that I had the Midas means to do more for our boys and girls who have bravely fought in the various war theatres in Afghanistan, Iraq, and those secret missions that cannot be spoken of. It is true that there are Veterans services available to assist those who are coming back home, but these bureaucracies that governed these services are overwhelmed and veterans who need assistance - be it financial or otherwise - are sometimes waiting months and even years to get the badly needed assistance. We must thank God for other private veteran organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project that fills the needed gaps that the government’s veterans administration cannot do because of the sheer volume of cases.

There are those who say sub rosa that there are veterans who are malingerers and are ‘gaming’ the system to receive assistance - but don’t we have the same phenomenon in our civilian support system (Welfare, Medicaid, etc) too that are replete with many ‘gaming’ the system and contributing to massive loss of largess that could be had for those who are truly in need… and if I am going to err in giving assistance… I will err on the side of those brave men and women who walked the walk… bleeding and suffering wounds that are mostly not visible, but are just as challenging and devastating to the well being of those men and women who make up our armed forces. But isn't like wicked human nature whereby we used the soldiers as Photo-Ops when pursuing political ends or to generate sales for a given business and when the selfish use of the veterans are over, they are thrown aside until a new set of soldiers are used again to cement some politician’s ambition. And since I am here I might as well tell you that there is no lower “scumbag” than those organizations that are supposedly there to help veterans - but use the monies received to line their administrators’ pockets and with the pittance going to the veterans

I am probably biased because I am a veteran who did not fight in any of our recent wars, but yet, I respect those who not only had the intent to die for the ideals of the United States, but survived… fighting in countries whose denizens are mostly ungrateful. Even Jesus the Christ highlighted the import of those who put their lives on the line for their fellow human beings when He said: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends (John 15:13).” It is shameful to see the state of many of the veterans; their troubles are legion: living on the streets and being homeless; fighting to keep food on the table and having to live off food stamps and the like; suffering diseases (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, etc) that do not, in most cases, manifest in visible wounds; and bereft of the ability to find gainful employment. Yes, it is true that there are veterans who are so proud that they find it difficult to reach out to others for assistance, but those are few and I do not understand why jobs cannot be had for most of these folks who are technically adept with the attendant discipline and fortitude needed to succeed on any job.

I do not want to suggest that no one is helping the veterans because businesses such as Walmart and others are pro-actively doing what they can to stem the tide of many of our veterans that are adrift in our cities. I hope that many of you who read this blog, if you can, find reputable, charitable organizations, who are there to assist our veterans, and generously give what you can… I will add that what you give that you may even right off when you file your respective taxes. Whatever you are doing on Memorial Day, I hope that when you see a soldier… that you will reflect a little and ponder what this man or woman represents… knowing that the ideals many of us take for granted that he or she has pledged his or her life to protect…. Happy Memorial Day all!