Veterans Day and Heroes
It’s the end of a long day. I was on the road most of the day, listening to the stories about Veterans on the radio. And I got to thinking about heroes. Who they are, why they are, and who I admire most.
My heart aches when I see a Vet home from the war who didn’t really make it home. Whether it was WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, or the Middle East wars, we’ve had them come home in boxes, or missing limbs, or missing their sight… the saddest are those who came home missing their hearts.
Young men go to war; they are not young when they return. I lost many friends during the Viet Nam War … And some of those came back alive. War rips the soul from a body. There is no way you can remain aloof from, or immune to, the carnage. When I see homeless people close to my age, I wonder if they are walking remnants of Viet Nam. A friend who works with the homeless once told me probably 70% of the homeless have mental challenges: that’s why they’re homeless in the first place. How many are war’s walking wounded?
It doesn’t really matter how you feel about the war. The people who go over – for whatever reason – deserve respect and thanks. They are fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, husbands, and wives. They are us. We didn’t do a good job of understanding them after Viet Nam. I hope we are doing a better job of appreciating them this time around.
Personally, I’d like them all to come home. And… this is what we’re doing until we can figure out a way to stop doing it. Meanwhile, families are torn apart, people are hurting, and hearts are breaking. The heroes are the ones who go, and the families who stay behind loving them. The heroes are the ones who go on after returning, even though their hearts and souls are breaking. Some manage better than others. And they will never be young again.
I remember the eyes of one friend who went to Viet Nam. He was a bright spirit in college. A little cocky. Sparkling smile. Bullet proof. He came back without a scratch… that we could see. Until you looked into his eyes. Eyes none could read anymore. I didn’t fully understand until years later…when I watched “Apocolypse Now.”
For some goofy reason I sat in the front row of the theater that day. The sun was bright, and on a whim I walked into a matinee. I took the last seat in the house. The movie screen was practically in my lap. I had to lay back in the seat in that darkened theater to take in the huge screen. As guns exploded and the story of Viet Nam unfolded, I just kept shaking my head back and forth, tears running down my face. Unfathomable.
It’s so easy from the comfort of our chairs to sit in judgment of the whole process. I know that I still don’t completely grasp the unadulturated horror of war. I don’t understand why someone would want to go. I don’t understand how anyone can live with the memories after returning.
I just know that today when I walked into the Post office and saw a Veteran in his 80′s – in full dress uniform – reading his mail, it was only right and appropriate to go up to him and shake his hand.
Blessings on this Veterans Day.
May we figure out a way to not need it anymore.
Beth
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Beth Terry is a Professional Speaker and Author who travels the world presenting programs on Stress, Change, Overwhelm, and Effectively Managing your teams.
© 2007 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc.
