No Veteran's Day?

Happy Veteran’s Day. This is a day to offer our thanks to those who have put their lives on the line to fight for the many liberties that we citizens enjoy. The men and women from all the conflicts that have been fought over the last century or so have served with bravery and honor, and have done so by risking their lives. I imagine there are millions of veterans, having served the frequent conflicts of the 20thm and now the 21st century.

I suppose there might be some veterans left from World War I, but they would be quite old, I should think. Many more from World War II. Their sacrifice and bravery in large part is what made our country what it is today. We owe them our very existence, in some sense. We have also veterans from the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the invasion of Panama, Granada, Kosovo and no doubt other smaller skirmishes, some perhaps without names. And of course, our nation is churning out a great many more veterans as we fight two wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Wouldn’t it be nice, though, if there was a passage of time where there were no new veterans. Where our nation, and those sharing the planet with us, opted to resolve our differences through negotiation, and we fought no wars for a generation or two or three. What if 100 years passed and we did not fight a war? Would there be any veterans left? Daresay their care at places like Walter Reed would have to improve quite a lot for any current veterans to live another 100 years.

I have nothing against veterans. Absolutely not. I would just like to see their numbers shrink, but instead, the veteran population is growing all the time. Alas, in the process, we are also increasing the numbers we must remember on Memorial Day. Sadly, we do not even have a special day for those that will spend the rest of their life in some sort of damaged state as a result of the wars we have fought. In some sense, those that left a part of themselves on the battlefield are the ones that truly need our help, our appreciation, and our admiration, perhaps more so than any group of veterans. They deserve a day to call their own. Those that have given a limb, or two, or have lost the use of their limbs, their eyes, their ears, or those who have suffered such anguish that their thoughts have turned against them. These folks need a day where we consider their sacrifice. Hero Appreciation Day. Victims of Foreign Wars. Can’t even think of a good name.

The United States military is the finest in the world. When motivated, and fighting a just war, we are pretty much undefeated. When, however, we fight wars that are the result of leaders who have misunderstood their responsibility, the results are a mixed bag. I am hopeful we can end, soon, the ongoing creation of new veterans, and that the future leaders of this country will understand, once and for all, that the enormous might of the United States military carries with it the enormous responsibility of using only when there is no other option. We have become cavalier in our decisions to go to war. Here’s hoping we can go 100 years before fighting, so that we can fully appreciate the veterans we already have, without adding to their numbers.

To those that have served, thank you. Help our leaders understand why your sacrifice should not be offered in haste.