Every year we have a parade and listen to grand speeches detailing all the ways in which we are grateful to our veterans for their sacrifices.
Last night on the radio I heard of a fundraiser to help a veteran who came back from Iraq without a leg and needs work done on his home to accommodate his new living requirements.
While I applaud the efforts of private citizens to assist their returning heroes, it makes me sick that our veterans ever want for anything. How is it that the government didn’t have his house outfitted before he was even released from the hospital?
Our government somehow manages to waste billions of dollars on stupid stuff, why can’t they somehow divert a bit of those resources to the people who actually deserve it. We hear especially about how much waste there is in military spending, and yet only a pathetic amount of funding goes to the men and women who have earned it. Instead of overpaying greedy contractors building weapons, why couldn’t we buy new houses for returning vets?
At the very least, our veterans should never have to worry about the basic necessities of life again. Any college of their choice should be completely free. Any medical or mental health treatments they might need should be immediately available by top doctors in top facilities. Serving your country should earn you rights and privileges that ordinary civilians only dream of.
Besides the speeches and parades, how do we thank our veterans in concrete terms? Are they relying on the mercy of a private fundraiser to take care of their most basic needs? Those who have sacrificed so much to give us the freedom and security we enjoy, we should make sure that they receive the most delicious of those fruits. That might be a small step toward beginning to repay them for what they’ve done for us.
Veteran’s Day should be every day, especially now while so many are still facing the ultimate sacrifice every day on foreign soil.
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