One of the many organizations I belong to is the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). I qualify because of the two tours of duty I spent in the Republic of Korea (ROK) - South Korea. Most of my VFW experience is with my local post and it’s been an exhilarating experience being around and associated with the many veterans in this group. BUT there are some unfortunate aspects of being a member of this group in that there has to be a war - or occupation - outside the US in order to qualify to join. Ironically many of the members in the group are WWII veterans followed by Korea and of course Viet Nam. Another sad irony is that as these veterans age and pass away we need the newer veterans from wars such as Iraq and Afghanistan to join and help keep the organization viable. The VFW exists to help veterans and their families and while we’d like nothing more than to see the need for this type of effort to fade away, we know that wars will continue to occur and veterans and their families will continue to be in need.
I’m also a member of the American Legion. So what’s the difference? Well, as stated earlier, the VFW represents veterans of foreign wars but the American Legion is open to all members of the military and of course there are the auxiliaries for the spouses of these veterans.
All these organizations provide much needed services and friendship for the military, our veterans and their families. So, as Memorial Day approaches please take a moment and visit the following links and see what opportunities exist to help and support our military and our veterans. The opportunities range from attending events open to the public that are fund raisers to donating blood at drives designated to helping the VA Hospitals and active duty military personnel.
I can’t think of a better memorial to these folks than to support these organizations not only on Memorial Day but each and every day. So, thank a veteran and their family for their sacrifices that have given us all the freedom we live with each day.
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) - www.vfw.org
American Legion - www.legion.org
Operation Support Our Troops (OSOT) - www.operation-support-our-troops.org
United Service Organizations (USO) - www.uso.org
See you there.
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Veteran's Day
In the past several days I've been asked many times how I would or did spend Veteran's Day by folks who know that I'm a veteran. I think my response stunned, or at least surprised them. I haven't celebrated Veteran's day for many years now and I have my reasons.
Now, before you start honking and coughing that I'm anti-Veteran, hold on. I'm not anti-Veteran. In fact, I'm very pro-Veteran. In fact, I think every day should be Veteran's Day and that's the basis for my decision these past many years not to personally celebrate Veteran's Day.
Veteran's have one of the highest rates of any groups in our society of homelessness. There is something fundamentally wrong with anyone who has served his/her country coming back home and ending up homeless. Setting aside one day a year to celebrate the service of our Veteran's hasn't solved this problem.
The number of military personnel who are coming home from the current war with psychological problems, some even committing suicide, is staggering. PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is popularly associated with the Viet Nam War but it is a disorder that knows no such division as one war or another. In fact, I was diagnosed with PTSD during my service but not fundamentally because of anything that I experienced in the military but because I grew up in an intensely violent and dysfunctional environment. More on that another time. However, I make this point to highlight to everyone that anyone with PTSD needs a support system, especially when trying to reintergrate with society after returning home from a war zone.
These challenges confronting Veterans are not because other Veteran's have let it happen. Veteran's of all the wars and conflicts are some of the most generous people on the planet. They're quick to help and support each other but this problem really needs our entire society to tackle it and not just once a year.
When we as a society, as a country participate in vaulting our military personnel into a war, we need to keep in mind that when they return from that war we need to be as strong and brave as they were in going. We need to be there for them for the long haul and not just once a year.
Now, before you start honking and coughing that I'm anti-Veteran, hold on. I'm not anti-Veteran. In fact, I'm very pro-Veteran. In fact, I think every day should be Veteran's Day and that's the basis for my decision these past many years not to personally celebrate Veteran's Day.
Veteran's have one of the highest rates of any groups in our society of homelessness. There is something fundamentally wrong with anyone who has served his/her country coming back home and ending up homeless. Setting aside one day a year to celebrate the service of our Veteran's hasn't solved this problem.
The number of military personnel who are coming home from the current war with psychological problems, some even committing suicide, is staggering. PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is popularly associated with the Viet Nam War but it is a disorder that knows no such division as one war or another. In fact, I was diagnosed with PTSD during my service but not fundamentally because of anything that I experienced in the military but because I grew up in an intensely violent and dysfunctional environment. More on that another time. However, I make this point to highlight to everyone that anyone with PTSD needs a support system, especially when trying to reintergrate with society after returning home from a war zone.
These challenges confronting Veterans are not because other Veteran's have let it happen. Veteran's of all the wars and conflicts are some of the most generous people on the planet. They're quick to help and support each other but this problem really needs our entire society to tackle it and not just once a year.
When we as a society, as a country participate in vaulting our military personnel into a war, we need to keep in mind that when they return from that war we need to be as strong and brave as they were in going. We need to be there for them for the long haul and not just once a year.
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