Veterans Day is another one of those days that can have its true meaning lost through an abundance of furniture store or car dealerships or various other promotions. However I think days like this, as well as Memorial Day have seen a resurgence lately with the huge numbers of veterans recently home or discharged from the military. Because of my job in working for veterans to help them access their benefits and any other assistance they may be eligible for I usually end up attending some Veteran’s Day function, or just sitting and talking to a number of veterans that I talk with at work. Having gone through the experiences I have I’ve found it interesting at times to hear other peoples perspectives on their experiences, and without fail, the most interesting stories and the most interesting perspectives come from the older generations.
Maybe it’s because as a kid I always learned about the older generation’s wars in my history classes, but it’s always a very humbling experience to meet someone who participated in the major campaigns of World War II, Korea, or Vietnam. It’s tough to turn on the TV these days and not run across a documentary about D-Day, or the Battle of the Bulge, and numerous other well-known operations that changed the history of the world. I’ve been fortunate enough at my job to have a relationship with several men like this. I routinely talk to a 95 year old man who was shot storming Omaha Beach on D-Day, and was even lucky enough to go golfing with him a few months ago. I have met an Army sniper who is very happy to tell you of his days of sniping German officers during the Battle of the Bulge. And then there is the man who survived the Battle at the Chosin Reservoir while his brother who was right next to him was not as fortunate.
Likewise there are many veterans who will clam up and not want to talk about the experiences they had in whichever war they fought. And that’s ok too. Some people just feel and function better if they try to bury the negative experiences that have forever altered their lives. Just from writing this weekly article for the time I have, I’ve found it has made it easier for me to come out and talk about things that I’d kept to myself for a period of time. I’ve found that when I run into another veteran it’s very easy and comfortable for me to start talking about the “old days” in the Army. That was a tough thing to do for me even not that long ago. I would venture to say that a good number of the veterans who prefer to be silent might be receptive to talking if someone approached them and was generally interested to hear their stories.
It’s been my experience in the five years of working with veterans that in almost every case, when they come in to talk to me about their benefits, what they really want is for someone to sit down with them and just listen to what they have to say. To let them get off their chest what they may not have said to anyone before. But don’t be pushy, I’ve found that to be very counterproductive. So I hope everyone would take some time out of their Veteran’s Day, and every other day to say thank you to those that have fought for our country. And also tell them Welcome Home, as many of the veterans from generations before didn’t receive the warm welcoming home that us soldiers receive now.