Honor veterans on Thursday and all year long
It was George Washington who acknowledged during America’s infancy that “if we desire to secure peace ... it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.”
Our country’s 25 million veterans intimately know the nuances of that statement. So did the hundreds of thousands of veterans who gave their lives for their country’s freedom.
Veterans Day is Thursday and although we should help and laud our veterans every day, this is the time of year when most people’s attention turn toward those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
During my 31 years as a journalist, I’ve had the opportunity to interview veterans from all walks of life. When I was a cub reporter, I talked to remaining veterans of World War I. They’re all gone now, and World War II veterans are dying at a rate of about 1,000 per day. Some of their stories, their real-life experiences, haunt me yet today.
I remember interviewing a World War II Marine, who in his 80s was still tough as nails. But as we sat at his kitchen table and he relived the battles he’d fought a half-century ago, he choked up and cried.
I remember interviewing a young Vietnam veteran in 1979, not that many years after he’d seen combat. He was struggling with depression and post traumatic stress disorder. He couldn’t forget the gruesome things he had seen during that war, the enemies he’d killed. I’ve wondered many times how his life turned out.
Post traumatic stress disorder is the fourth most common service-related disability, according to U.S. Veterans Affairs. There is no cure for PTSD, but early treatment of symptoms can help veterans.
It’s alarming to tap into the VA’s database and find out that veterans have a suicide rate that is three times higher than in the general population.
About 300,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are likely to suffer from either PTSD or major depression. Another 320,000 veterans returning from those wars have had traumatic brain injuries during deployment.
Veterans of all ages struggle with all kinds of medical issues, physically and psychologically. But these survivors also can inspire us. Some of the most uplifting and profound moments of my life have come during time spent at the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls.
I was having a bad day many years ago when my boss sent me to the Veterans Home to cover the annual Christmas party.
But as I sat among the old soldiers I witnessed a moment of pure grace as one old veteran, his own hands shaking, helped an invalid veteran eat a piece of cake, gently encouraging him to take a few more bites. Suddenly, whatever troubles I had that day seemed minuscule as I watched camaraderie at its finest.
Another time at the Veterans Home, I was there as a bunch of the old guys played bingo. One veteran, who suffered from dementia as well as physical ailments, was lovingly helped by his wife, who took his hand in hers and guided him to place the tokens on the Bingo cards. He wasn’t even able to speak anymore, but love still flourished between them.
These small kindnesses happen every day at veterans homes and nursing homes around the country, and we can be part of it. We can volunteer to spend time with veterans, or donate food to the Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry.
Many of our local schools are holding assemblies on Veterans Day this Thursday. Check the Inter Lake’s Daybook and go to one of them. They’ve put themselves in harm’s way; the very least we can do is honor them on this special day.
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.