Veterans “Week” 2015
November 16, 2015
Veterans Day, an important day of remembrance in the US, is finally getting the attention it so long deserved. I have always thought it has been a day that we did not honor sufficiently, but this year seemed different. Veterans Day turned into what felt to me like “Veterans Week” as different stories emerged through the week that honored all the people that have served our country. I am not a veteran but my father was and I feel a sense of guilt when I think of those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect our country. Reading the story of the soldier that was awarded the Congressional Medal makes a normal citizen’s life seem small in comparison. It has caused me to reflect on what actions we can take as citizens to show veterans that their service is appreciated.
As citizens, most of us feel protected and safe not in any small part from knowing our country’s military personnel will do what is needed to protect us. In this election season what better way to show the support and thanks for our service men and women than for us to exercise a major right, and I feel a duty, as citizens by voting. The proportion of people who vote in America is abysmally low for national elections, and even worse at the local level. In the 2012 national election only 57.5 percent of eligible voters actually voted. The midterm election of 2014 was even worse with only 36.3 percent going to the polls. What if in a field of battle only 36 percent of the soldiers chose to fight? Veterans have fought and died for our privilege to vote. Let’s honor them at each and every election.
One of my co-workers was recently chosen to serve on a jury. I discussed with my coworker his two weeks of jury service, and how he felt about the experience. Our discussion just happened to be this past Wednesday on Veterans Day. No one wants to be on a jury but rather than trying to get out of service why not embrace the process? As you sit in that pool of potential jurors you know that most of the candidates would rather be somewhere else. I suspect that our military men and women on deployment often wish they could be in another place as well.
On Friday evening, after a week when the market decided to give up most of the year to date gains, we watched once again a city come under terrorist attack. The death toll is shocking, as was the fear and helplessness in the faces of mainly young people who had simply been out for an evening of fun with friends and family.
A whole country put on lock down capped this Veterans Week. Having fellow citizens, be they soldiers, sailors, airmen, policemen, firemen, or emergency medical workers, willing to put themselves into harm’s way to protect others deserves a heartfelt thank you.
Carl Gambrell
