Today is Veteran's Day, and though for many people it has come to mean just a day off from work, this is a day that should be taken seriously and spent showing our appreciation for every single veteran who has ever put on a uniform for our country. Because of these men and women we are free, because of them we can speak for ourselves, choose where and how to worship - or not, and live our lives however we see fit.
The toll on our veterans is so high, but many are unaware of just how high it is. If you have been blessed by personally knowing someone who has served in a foreign war, then perhaps you have been told stories of some of their experiences, but I'm betting you don't know the inside story, for these are the things they don't want you to know, but which show them for the truly brave and wonderful people that they are. You may not know how often they lie awake at night wracked with pain from injuries they have suffered during battle. You may not be aware of the horrifying nightmares that wake them when they finally DO fall to sleep. What about their reaction to sudden loud noises? Or the stress they undergo when they are in crowded or loud places? Have you ever thought about the toll that their experiences, and the post-traumatic issues from them, have on their families? When the war is over, or when their time in it is, their battles continue on for the rest of their lives. Life is never "normal" for them again. They may put on a happy face, some can't no matter how hard they try, but inside they have changed. Some changes are for the better, many are not, but there's nothing they can do about it.
Do you know what though? And this is so important to remember . . . No matter the horror they have gone through, no matter the damage done to their bodies and their minds, they would do it all again. Let that sink in. They would do it all again for YOUR right to live free, for the rights of even those who speak out against them, they would go back to serve this country they love so much, no matter the toll it takes on their lives.
Appreciate a Veteran this day, and every day. They have been there for us, let's be there for them.
To all the Veterans in my life - my father, brother, uncles, son, friends and extended "adopted" family . . . Thank you. Thank you for loving our country and our freedoms so much that you sacrificed for us. Thank you seems inadequate, but its all I have to give. Thank you.
