Why We Should Thank A Veteran

I need to start off this week’s show by clearly saying this show is different from others. I decided to do this show out of emotion, which is unusual, so you might not hear things you want to hear, but I’m going to say them anyway. But first I need to tell you a story that has influenced me. I know a retired Doctor whose only brother many years ago went off to fight in World War II. The brother died in the war, leaving his then fourteen year old an only child. Six months after losing his brother the fourteen year old boy then lost his mother to disease. Right after losing his mother, the boy's father died in freak, but suspicious accident. At age 14 this now orphaned boy went to live with his only relative, a aunt. In his loneliness and sadness the boy turned inward miraculously found answers to the questions in his school books. He had decided to put himself through medical school, which he did. After becoming a medical doctor he spent 40 years in a Veterans Administration hospital taking care of soldiers. He is now retired and in his eighties.

I grew up with the WWII generation as my teachers. I grew up in a generation where parents were those that had endured WWII. They are an unselfish generation that gave when tyranny threatened America’s existence as a nation. They gave unselfishly.

My son is 25 years old, and my daughter is 23 years old. My children are of the generation that has been called upon to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. As preface to what I am about to tell you, I need to set the stage by mentioning to you that I do not believe in war, any war. I am opposed to war, all wars, period. I simply don’t support the idea that we should be engaged in wars. I mention this because although I don’t believe in war I do very much believe in the generation that my children belong to.

When my children were very young we lived in several states. I have gone to hundreds of their school events, cub scouts, girl scouts, sporting events, all the myriad events parents tote their children to. During all these events I have seen the children of their generation become the young men and woman that are today our country’s soldiers and veterans. Although I don’t believe in the wars they are fighting I do believe in these young people. I have watched this generation first hand with my children since they were born. They may be adults today, but I can still look into their eyes and see the child I recall from not too many years back.

My children didn’t have to go to war because we don’t have a draft. And we don’t have a draft because of the young men and women who have unselfishly volunteered. Our recent President, right or wrong, make the decision to send our country into war. It is extremely unselfish that these young people volunteered to answer their country’s call into action. Simply put, if these young people didn’t answer the call when their country asked them to, my children could have been drafted and gone off to war. As a parent, and one totally opposed to war, I am not sure how I would have handled that. To be frank, my gratitude toward these young men and women is clear; from my perspective it could very well have been that if my children had to have gone off to war they may not have returned. In this regard the young men and women that answered the call by volunteering saved the life of my children. My gratitude is heartfelt to say the least.

The reason I am so opposed to war is the incredible destruction it leaves in it’s wake. The soldiers that return home will have lost the look in their eyes I remembered them having as children. And this is true for the opposite side as well. All of us lose. But when our children return home it is in my mind that our job is to care for them with the same passion a doctor spending forty years in a VA hospital might have. I believe whether we believe in the war, or not, it doesn’t matter. We might not believe in the call to serve that our President issued, but these veterans answered the call proudly, unselfishly.

My forefathers came over on the Mayflower, and some of my relatives were Native Americans before the Pilgrims got here. My passion for my country is deep. Throughout our history our heritage has been continuously shaped by those who unselfishly answer a call to duty. Make no misunderstanding, I am not proud of our wars, but I am proud we have young men and women amongst us who will unequivocally give of themselves to our country in such a way. I love my country very much, and I am proud of my family’s history, but I am in awe of the amazing love one must have to give everything of themself to their country, think of that level of patriotism.

I’ve been getting a lot of email from folks regarding the Artists & Veterans project I’m working on. For those not up to speed with the project I’ll spell it out for you. Starting next month I will begin hosting a weekly television show. The purpose of the television show is to launch the Artists & Veterans Project, a volunteer program aimed at uniting local Artists with the 28,000 Veterans living on Cape Cod.

The purpose of the Artists & Veterans Project is for the artist to voluntarily provide the veteran free art lessons, workshops, and training in the veteran's choice of art. The artists will vary from the visual arts, to musicians, and writers, and every artist in between, virtually anyone whose interest involves creativity. One of the key goals is to help artists promote their own work and in the end help connect them with new audiences who will hopefully want to support and patronize their creative work. In my mind, all of us are artists in one form or another. Whether it's with a paint brush, cooking spatula, or a guitar with a few chords. I am working with our local Veterans Affairs’ office and the VA’s wonderful Team Leader Bonnie McIntosh. We are asking those with a creative skill to step forward, volunteer, and share with those in need.

The focal point where the artist and veteran meet is on a website hosted by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod. And all of you know my passion for that great non-profit group. The important web page on the Arts Foundation website contains all the information the veteran needs to review and sign up for the artists’s workshop.

At the beginning of the show I mentioned I needed to start off this week’s show by clearly saying this show is different from others. That I had decided to do this show out of emotion, which is unusual, and that you might not hear things you want to hear, but I was going to say them anyway. Well, I believe in the Artist & Veterans project, for me personally I feel obligated to give back to those that have given so unselfishly. And it’s not about the war, it’s about giving to those who gave. In fact, whether one side in a war is right and the other side is wrong doesn’t matter, what matters is that on both sides of the war young men and woman answered the call that came from their beloved countries. Both sides gave unselfishly. In my mind it’s the obligation of each side to respect, honor, and assist their soldiers as they return home.

With that said, for those that sent me an email suggesting the veterans knew what they were getting into when they volunteered for duty, and that we wouldn’t have had a war if they didn’t volunteer: Take the energy that you put into those types of thoughts and put that energy to good use down at your Town Hall - every town in America is currently looking for volunteers in a number of capacities.

 

And to those who have sent me an email regarding artists shouldn’t be working with veterans because artists aren’t professional counselors. The purpose of our project isn’t to provide therapy, it’s to provide art lessons. If you could stop looking for something to criticize you might have been able to see our purpose.

Lastly, and I’m going to have to get on my soapbox for this one, but it’s time we drop the attitudes. First, let’s start with those that cut me off and try to drive me off the road because I have an Obama sticker on my car. I can’t tell if you’re mad because a democrat is in office, or you’re mad because a black man is in office, but either way the sticker isn’t coming off, so drop the attitude.

And from my fellow Democrats that think the Republican’s are entirely wrong, drop the attitude. And Conservatives that think telling others what they should and shouldn’t be doing with their lives, drop the attitude. As a matter of fact, there is a lot of us that need to drop the attitudes and recognize that we live in the greatest country in the world, and we need to be grateful for that. How about turning your attitude into gratitude?

If you think coping an attitude because you believe your side is right and their side is wrong we as a country aren’t going to get anywhere. It’s time we stop the attitudes and turn that energy into volunteering. Take a look around you, we all have beautiful homes filled with lots of stuff, and we eat better than any other population in the world. What more do we want? We have more than enough now. It’s time we recognize how good we have it and give something back. It’s time we get off the couch, turn off the television, and give something to our society. Give the gift that keeps on giving -- volunteer without an attitude!