Veterans Day is coming up. That means millions will gather to show respect for every person who's served in our armed forces. But for some, like myself, celebrating veterans isn't just a once-a-year ordeal. It's an everyday appreciation and no amount of thank-yous will ever be enough to truly substantiate how one feels.
My mom served 20 years in the Navy. Those 20 years aren't just years she worked. Those years were spent defending our country, being away from her children and family, and not getting to do many of the things she wished she could. Still, she wore her sailor uniform proudly and worked tirelessly for those two decades and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't consider her to be a hero of mine.
Now that my mom is retired, she gets to spend more time with her family. She has a good job and is living a slower-paced life (of which she's more than grateful for). But not all veterans have the same fate. Some are homeless, starving, sick, and suffering. Some serve decades in war only to come back to work odd-jobs that don't give them the appreciation they deserve. The point is, we preach about how thankful we are to veterans, but they truly aren't appreciated enough.
And no veteran should ever feel like an outsider when they return.
Our nation is lucky enough to have people voluntarily give up so much just to serve us. That's not something that every country has. Veterans are father's, mothers, children, and friends. They are family to this country who deserve a lot more than a 10% discount at restaurants. They deserve an everlasting respect and dedicated support from the people they fought so hard to protect.
