You never know where to find them. Sometimes they wear their pride, other times they blend in. They may tell the grandest stories or keep them to themselves. They may be in the prime ages of their lives, or retired and taking it easy now.
I’ve only found them at the Veterans' Affairs Hospital.
And they deserve to be found.
I recently visited the nearby Veterans' Affairs hospital with a simple goal in mind. Walking through its sterile halls reminded me of the one I had back home. I finally made it to my destination, where I received a thick packet of paper and was immediately administered a TB test. A couple days later, I turned in my request to be a volunteer at that VA campus.
For three years, I have been a student volunteer at my VA back home. Now that I’m in college, I’m going to continue volunteering at a VAl. It surprises me when I hear my friends (who are currently looking for volunteer positions) never list the nearby VA among their desired options. Unlike them, I would prefer to do my volunteering there, over the other big-name hospitals in the area.
But why is that?
Volunteering at any other hospital has similar benefits: you become acclimated to the medical environment, you get patient contact, you meet professionals and learn from them. But there’s a different satisfaction than just knowing that you helped sick people or helped relieve some of the duties of the employees.
No, veteran patients are different. There is a different weight to the work you do for them as a volunteer, even if you’re just escorting them around in a wheelchair. Even though it may seem like a job to just get through each day, I am constantly reminded of why these patients are here; they sacrificed their time and much more in order to protect our country. The benefits may be similar, but there are certain ones that you can’t get elsewhere.
One of the greatest benefits I’ve received from volunteering is that it has helped me combat stereotypes that popular culture and society. They’re not just cigar-smoking old guys who recount horror stories about war. It’s a mix of both older and younger veterans, who may be in their twenties and thirties. I never thought of veterans being less than a decade older than me, but despite their ages, they are all in need of the service of others, and they all have different tales to tell. Sometimes they have good wisdom to impart; for example, two years ago someone told me, "aspire to inspire before you expire." While the rhyme has kept it fresh, it still has meaning to me.
It has also given me an appreciation for their service, and it makes my purpose as a volunteer even greater. These people have served in wars ranging from Iraqi War all the way back to the Korean War. I cannot and will not ever fathom what they’ve done for our country. Whatever the cause, these people went through different kinds of hell and back, and the inability to understand that helps me realize that they need help, and I want to help them. It's a nice sense of fulfillment, for both myself and for veterans.
While interacting with the veterans is great, meeting fellow volunteers is just as great. I love being a fresh, young face to older people, a sign of hope from a generation they've generalized as lazy (and I have heard them say this). But what is really inspiring is seeing older people volunteer as well. When I was stationed in out-patient pharmacy, I worked alongside a woman in her eighties and was happy to lessen her load whenever I could. Sure, it can put me to shame a little bit, seeing that woman do more work than some of the employees might even do, but it was inspiring to see someone put so much into an unpaid position. I could never be that type of person, but at least I have some inspiration to try.
Sometimes, veterans are alone, not supported by family. They may have problems with alcohol or drug abuse. They may even be homeless, lucky that someone even dialed 9-1-1 for them. The people who gave something to their country deserve to be given back to, and I and thousands of other VA volunteers want to make sure that they’re not alone.
