Veterans

Before I say anything else, I'm going to start off by saying that I have the utmost respect for those that have the boldness of heart, the strength of spirit, and the love of their country to dawn a military uniform. They are citizens who have decided to become a part of something bigger than themselves and actively chose to potentially put themselves in harms way to protect the ideals and values of their country both at home and abroad. Choosing whether or not to join the military is no small decision. It truly is a life changing choice. While I haven't had any military experience myself, I know a few people who do, and did. My father and Grandfather were both veterans of the United States Navy, and I knew many people in college who were in the ROTC program. I have nothing but respect and admiration for them. In this country, respect for both those that are actively in service, and veterans of the military, is considered extremely important, but unfortunately, all too often, our troops are left hanging when they return home from active duty. While I know that there are efforts being made, I still feel that the staggering amount of homeless veterans in this country is absolutely heart breaking. To see someone in uniform out on the street begging for change, fills me with many emotions; anger, sadness, frustration, and empathy, which is why I try to help them out whenever I have the resources available to do so. In my opinion, no one who has put their own life on the line in service of their country, should have to beg on the street when they return home. Yes there are many public servants who are making honest efforts to improve the quality of life for our veterans, I still feel that we as civilians should also do our part to make sure that veterans have the means to sustain themselves. We should offer to buy them a meal when we see them on the street, we should make donations to the VA if we have the funds to do so, and we should try to put ourselves in their shoes to truly understand the travesty that it is to be out on the streets after serving this country. Vets deserve respect, they deserve compassion, and they deserve better than what we're giving them right now.