On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind.
-Dan Lipinski
When you don’t grow up in a military family or near a military base, you may not think about the number of active or inactive veterans daily. The old saying is true. “Out of sight, out of mind.” However, unawareness or ignoring facts doesn’t help the veteran struggling to find a job or with health needs. Let’s look at some heartbreaking realities to understand the complex impact war has on veterans’ minds, hearts, spirits, bodies, and lives.
Heartbreaking Realities
- As of 2019, 11.7 million veterans are over the age of 65, which is about 61% of all veterans.
- Veterans make up roughly 11% of adults experiencing homelessness.
- 70% of veterans experiencing homelessness also experience substance abuse, and 50% live with mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- The suicide rate for veterans is 1.5 times higher than that of the general population.
Historically, veterans have been treated like robots, void of any feelings or mental struggles. I thank God these viewpoints and treatments are slowly changing. Families and doctors are finally working together to help veterans work through mental anguish and other physical ailments caused by their service.
We Can All Show Appreciation
As a free nation, all its citizens also have a responsibility to help veterans when possible and thank them for their sacrifice. I have lived in a third-world country and witnessed a dictatorship’s tyranny. Our troops choose to sacrifice their lives to fight for freedom and to defend those who can’t protect themselves. Without order and the protection of democracy, we would face devastating hardships and tyranny.
So how can we show our troops how much we appreciate them? Let’s look at a short list of things you can do:
- We can contact military bases and work with them to supply active soldiers with what they need or letters of encouragement.
- We can contact the Veterans Administration in our area to see how we can help the veterans around us.
- We can notice veterans around us and thank them for their service.
- We can pay for their coffee or meal.
- We can invite and welcome veterans to church.
- We can .volunteer at a veterans home or shelter where they stay
- We can support foundations that support veterans.
- We can learn about their struggles and how to help. We can’t always see their inward wounds, but we can always give them kindness, respect, and honor.
This short list has a few ideas to get you started. I encourage you to pray about how you can be a light of hope and help when you come across veterans.
What God Says About Helping Others
As Disciples of Christ, we are instructed to help others even if it takes us out of our comfort zone. We have all needed help at some time in our life. Let’s look around and help the veterans who have sacrificed everything to ensure we enjoy freedom.
Helping others allows us to see others through the eyes and heart of Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see what he sees and the wisdom to know how to help them. We must realize that every person we meet could be Jesus in disguise. With this mindset, how are you treating veterans?
"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to act." (Prov. 3:27, NIV)
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'" (Matt. 25:44-45, NIV)
Jesus was our prime example of meeting people right where they were. He didn’t care if they were sinners, dirty, poor, brokenhearted, mentally distressed, or demon-possessed. Jesus showed us that his pure, healthy, unconditional love could save, heal, and transform lives. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in his disciples. Let us use Christ’s love and power to help others and follow his greatest commandment.
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:12-13, NIV)
