by Joyce Thornton
Greetings from the BVA Auxiliary. The month of November, and its annual celebration of Veterans Day, have come and gone once again. The passing of the holiday perhaps caused us to think about these wonderful men and women, and to ponder questions like these: Who are these veterans? What characteristics do they have? Can you recognize them on sight? Do they bear a special mark?
Answers to these questions are found in the following description I recently came across. The author is unknown. I have changed and added a few things to reflect how I feel personally.
A veteran is the cop on the beat that fought in Da Nang and risked his life for others. A veteran is the loudmouth at the bar who acts like he has no brains but for four hours fought his way through enemy lines in Korea, thereby saving several lives.
A veteran is the father and grandfather whose family sometimes thinks that he is a little old and slow, forgetting that he was part of the liberating force in World War II that freed the prisoners from the death camps in Germany.
A veteran is the guy who walks with a limp and is still working at his job. He has a limp because he was tortured in a Japanese prison camp in World War II and feels he’s lucky to be walking with an artificial limb.
A veteran is the guy who marches proudly in community parades, never forgetting to salute the flag as an average “Joe” standing up for his country.
A veteran may work in a grocery store, or he may be a professor in a fancy college, or he may be a community worker.
But, above all, a veteran is most accurately defined by his or service to a grateful nation. When meeting one, we might take the time to say just two words: Thank You! Without the veteran we would not enjoy the freedoms we have.
We may complain about the government based in Washington, the cost of living throughout the country, and the injustices around us. But, thankfully, we have the freedom to complain without the fear of repercussion—thanks to the veteran.
On the next wonderful Veterans Day holiday, and everyday, let us not forget to say a sincere thank you to any of them with whom we come in contact! |
