By Arvene Kilby
Special to the Times
Another Veterans Day has passed, and only a handful of ceremonies bringing recognition to our military men and women who have served this country were written about.
It seems that these specific remembrance days are losing their importance and esteemed place in the calendar year. While we know that there are some classrooms that do not make a distinction for this special day, there are many teachers who know the significance probably because they came from a military family.
Look at your new calendars for the coming year. They may not even have Veterans Day listed in November along with some other historic days like Patriots Day (Sept. 11 ) and Pearl Harbor Day (Dec. 7).
Sometimes this fading acknowledgment seems to be only kept alive by the veterans themselves. Each year, we add new graves to veterans’ cemeteries and yet, many Americans never give this a thought. Unless you have a member of the family or a friend who is enlisted and actively serving, there still remains an apathetic attitude toward the veterans who served unselfishly.
It is no wonder that such wonderful organizations as Wounded Warrior exist. But the worst shame in America is the number of programs that have had to be formed out of necessity to assist veterans with finding their place back into employment, avoiding homelessness, and with post-war rehabilitation just to name a few. There are more programs out there than you may realize, waiting to not only touch a veteran but to make a difference in their lives.
Unless we as a nation truly set aside the time and budgets, and adopt a caring attitude toward our veterans, the deserved attention will not improve. Military discrimination is illegal in employment opportunities, but with the demise of so many occupations and manufacturing industries in this country, it is extremely difficult for a veteran of any age or gender to find a job.
So why does it appear that the military is dealt discriminatory behavior by the government? It is disgraceful having lived a country that has been a military powerhouse, to see the dwindling financial responsibility that this government has toward each branch of the service. The cuts show only a lack of commitment to our servicemen and women and the necessary weaponry needed to perform their jobs, and certainly a lack of obligation to take care of them when they are wounded, or their families, should they be mortally injured.
Someone once said that a veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America for an amount “up to and including my life.” That is honor, and there are too many people in this country who no longer understand the meaning of that word, or the integrity that is needed to earn that word.
Until the day comes that our soldiers and veterans are rewarded with compensation appropriate to being on the front line of death, they will continue to be treated as second-class citizens instead of servants who protect you and our country.
We must never forget how to celebrate, acknowledge, and appreciate our veterans and our active servicemen and women. We salute them, for without their unselfish commitment and servitude for their country and fellow man, we would not have any liberty or happiness to pursue.
Arvene Kilby writes from Bridgeton.