Copyright Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Look around you today. You may know that your neighbor or coworker is a veteran, but odds are you also see quite a few other veterans when you’re out and about. With the largest naval base in the world and several other significant military installations, the Hampton Roads region is home to more than 80,000 members of various branches of the armed forces. Fortunately for us, many of them decide to stay in this area when they finish their time in the military. Veterans are diverse. Nearly half of all living veterans are 65 or older, but there are also veterans in their 20s. We haven’t had a draft in more than 50 years, so the younger ones you see likely joined the military for a variety of reasons: family tradition, college scholarships, or even because they didn’t know what else to do. Many who have served in recent years witnessed the 9/11 attacks on live TV while schoolchildren and resolved to serve our country. Remember that no matter why someone joined the military, honorably discharged veterans have served our country. That is no easy thing to do. Those who serve vow to do whatever our country requires of them. They don’t know what their future will hold. They may have an idea, and goals they hope to attain, but there is no certainty. What they do and where they go will be determined by what’s happening in the world and in our country. The more than 4,500 Navy sailors and Marines — future veterans — now deployed with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group that sailed from Norfolk in August had been expecting to head for the Sixth Fleet, operating in the Mediterranean and other areas off Europe and Africa. Instead, they find themselves in the Caribbean. Back in the 1960s and ‘70s, many troops found themselves wondering why they were fighting and their friends were dying in Vietnam. Some in the early days of that conflict loaded onto ships in Hawaii, expecting training exercises, only to disembark in Vietnam for long months in a war that took great tolls. Then there were the seemingly endless wars after 9/11 that left many veterans wounded in body and often in spirit. None of this is to say that our military doesn’t do a great many good, essential things, starting with keeping us and our way of life safe. There is much truth in slogans about honor, and peace through strength, and being a force for good around the globe. Our military makes us proud in many important ways. But there are no guarantees when people sign up to serve our country. Over the years, some have found themselves wondering about the oath they swore to defend the Constitution, when the leaders who issue orders seem to be abandoning that document. And when you’re in the military, you can’t just quit abruptly if you don’t like the way things are going. No, the military life is not an easy one. We should honor all those who serve, today and every day. We owe them a great debt. Unfortunately, that debt is not always paid. There are far too many homeless veterans. Many veterans face long waits for medical care. Veterans have more than their share of problems with PTSD, depression, and mental and emotional health problems. Veterans, who make up a substantial share of the federal workforce, have been hit hard by job cuts and the government shutdown. So today and every day, remember that many of the people you encounter in Hampton Roads are veterans who deserve better than they get after having put their lives on the line for us. Thank them for their service by doing all that you can to do to make sure they are treated with the consideration and care that they have earned. That includes always urging our government leaders to fulfill the nation’s promises to its veterans.
