Are We Truly Honoring Our Vets?
by John Moyle, The St. Louis Powercast
click here for original article
Monday is Veterans Day, a day we honor those men and women whom at one time wore the uniform to defend our country. Veterans come in all shapes and sizes. Some served during times of peace, some during war. Some are combat veterans, some are not. Some came home whole, and others sacrificed parts of their body while serving our nation. On Monday we honor them all.
Something that has troubled me for a while is the lack of support I see from people who believe they support veterans. I run into people every day that say they “support our troops”, regularly thank veterans and active military members for their service, etc. As a vet, while I appreciate these gestures I find it odd that many of these same people work hard in support of politicians and policies that bring harm to our vets and their families. It’s hard for myself and like minded veterans to look at these folks as supporters. To be fair, I believe they are not actually against veterans, but rather ignorant of the negative impact much of what they support has on vets.
There are people who fly a flag and believe themselves to be supporters of veterans, but look away in disgust when they see a man with a “will work for food” sign at an exit ramp. They openly oppose any form of homeless services near where they live as well. Do they realize that 1 in 3 homeless men in America are U.S. military veterans?
Some of these same people felt it was “about time” when food stamps were cut this year. They believe many Americans on food stamps abuse the system. Did they know that at least 5000 active duty families are likely to lose their food stamps as a result of these cuts? Are they aware of the fact that last year nearly 100 million dollars worth of food stamps were used at Military Commissaries and Exchanges (where a military I.D. is required to shop). Are these really the “cheats” they are after?
How many of these same people are completely supportive of Congressional efforts that have crippled the U.S. Postal Service? How many also support reductions in post offices, staff, delivery days, etc.? Maybe they don’t know thatthe Post Office has not taken a dime from U.S. tax payers since 1971. They may also not know the primary reason the Post Office is not profitable is Congressional interference. Do they realize the Post Office is second only to the Department of Defense in the number of Veterans employed there? Does this information make a difference to them?
Many of these pro-vet folks have stood with those politicians who opposed every effort to expand jobs in America since the 2008 crisis began. They might not realize that the unemployment rate of U.S. veterans is about 10%, in spite of various programs that promote hiring vets. They also oppose unions, assumedly unaware of the fact that many union members like myself are veterans. They may not know all the ways our unions support our veterans. Perhaps they don’t realize that their fire fighters, police officers, paramedics and many other emergency responders are both union members and veterans. There are also those among them that oppose raising the minimum wage. Perhaps they don’t realize that at least one million veterans would be helped by doing so.
How many people who put their hand briefly over their heart as a silent honor to our service members when they meet them on the street realize that because of the broad and unyielding sequester they support the military will have to reduce the number of men and women in uniform beyond recommended levels. Do they realize those uniformed men and women they are saluting might be furloughed soon? How many realize that while the Department of Veterans Affairs is not impacted by these cuts, “The result could mean more homeless veterans, less help for those looking for work, and tens of thousands of furloughed veterans struggling to make ends meet. Are they aware of any of this when they “thank” them?
While I and other veterans definitely appreciate the effort when people fly their flag, tie a yellow ribbon around a tree or thank one of us on the street, we’d ask something else of you. On this Veterans Day please consider honoring our veterans by supporting the programs, policies and employers that support them too. You can truly support us in the future if you just keep us in mind when considering what you choose to support or oppose in the future. Veterans deserve at least that from all of us don’t they?
UPDATE: Thanks to Missouri Health Care for All for pointing it out that access to healthcare is another area where our Veterans need our support. Thoughmany of our Veterans qualify in various ways for medical care though the Veterans Administration, we still have many without access to care. The Affordable Care Act, so long as Medicaid is expanded as designed in the individual veteran’s state, can help bring access to healthcare to 40% or more of the 1.3 Million Veterans currently uninsured .
