There was an op-ed in the Star Tribune a few days ago with a provocative title: What's So Special About Veterans? As I read it, I wondered if that title was thought up by author Ron Way or by the Strib's editors, because it went a bit beyond what the author was saying.
Way's point was that we would be better off if everyone in this country got the benefits available to veterans (like health care, including mental health care) — not that veterans shouldn't have those things, or that he didn't appreciate veterans. He also dared to mention that many veterans' lives are never in danger while serving, vs. others whose civilian jobs are more dangerous.
But in this country, it's pretty hard to do anything but constantly praise veterans and say they deserve more than anyone else. So today there were, predictably, a couple of outraged letters from people who seem to have only read that headline.
I'm glad to report there was also a letter from a veteran named Sean Phillips who did read the full op-ed and agreed with it:
As a veteran who served in combat, I couldn't agree more with Ron Way. There was another piece in the paper about different bills in the Minnesota House designed to further benefit veterans specifically, and it left me frustrated. Way's piece was the chaser I needed to recover from that. He so perfectly highlighted the massive amount of political favoritism that veterans receive, all while many vets deride the government for programs just like the ones they benefit from. I have long believed that programs like the VA hospitals provide a strong model for how the United States could care for most of the country. There is a lot of frustration for the tragic amount of veterans who resort to suicide to quell their grief, and many programs like the retreat Way volunteered for seem designed to counter those instances. However, not enough discussion takes place to consider how we could collectively work to improve society in a way that could help both veterans and everyone else who feels like things are hopeless.
This leads me to an idea that has stuck with me lately. There is a design principle that many in the civil engineering world are opening up to that says, "If you create an environment that is suitable for both 8-year-olds and 80-year-olds, you've created an environment that is beneficial for everybody." Perhaps siloing veterans in their own category is the wrong way of thinking, and if we could build structures that take care for all who contribute to our country, we could do a lot of good for veterans as well.
Thanks to Way for his contribution. I'm sure he's heard from many who disagree with his point so I wanted to add some positivity to the mix.
All of this made me think of the origins of Veterans Day, which was first called Armistice Day when it was originally held in 1918, one year after the November 11, 1917, armistice of World War I. Its name was changed after World War II with official adoption in 1954.
Veterans for Peace has been running a campaign for years to bring back the original name and the day's original intent:
Armistice Day was born and was designated as “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated."... As veterans we know that a day that celebrates peace, not war, is the best way to honor the sacrifices of veterans. We want generations after us to never know the destruction war has wrought on people and the earth....
This year, Armistice Day coincides with world leaders convening in Egypt for the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27). Not only is the US military the largest single institutional emitter of greenhouse gasses, the US military has long been deployed in wars for oil, natural gas, and other resources.
Veterans for Peace has created a flag for the reclaimed name, and has 11 ways you can take action on Armistice Day. Next year I will try to pay attention to this before November 11 and do more than just post about it here.
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