So today, this Wednesday, November 11, 2015, all of the United States saluted our veterans; Those who have put their lives on the line for our freedoms and our way of life, as well as those who continue to do so. We also had in our thoughts and prayers those who are serving right now or are about to serve and have made the choice to serve.
Veterans Day is not just another day that just happens to be recognized on the calendar; it is about paying our protectors: past, present, and future their due. But it is also more than that it is a reminder that we can never do enough to repay and thank them for all that they have done and will continue to do. Also that we as a nation do not do nearly enough for them. We don’t give them the needed care when they come home and leave the service, or at least not the right amount or put a lot of effort into doing so.
As evidenced by the state of the VA; we do not repay them enough for what they do and what they sacrifice to do so. We do not take good care of their families or give them the tools to do so themselves. Although a lot of businesses and even states (Texas) do a lot to promote hiring preferences as they should to veterans, it is still not universal enough and the automatic decision.
In fact, that is the best thing that can be done for honoring our veterans, making sure that there are jobs for them. An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today by David H. Petraeus and Sidney E. Goodfriend do a good job of accurately advocating for this. They explain how the business community needs to do a better job of making hiring veterans a priority and that they should be leaders on honoring them that way.
America, it is one thing to honor and thank our veterans, but do we actually do enough to actually repay them for their service. I think the answer is an obvious no, we do not. We can do better and we should. Veterans Day is not so much about honoring and remembering our protectors but a reminder to do so by doing a better job taking care of them.
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