SENIORS AND THE NEW PATRIOTISM
Aug 26th, 2013 | By Dr Jerry D Elrod | Category: Senior Moments BlogSeniors Support Veterans
Reports indicate that the numbers of veterans committing suicide continue to rise. The finger of shame and guilt points to Veteran Affairs and a lack of attention to Veteran medical need. It is a sad and compelling indictment. The New Patriotism needs to be more than signing petitions and marching with placards. Today’s patriots need to be proactive in behalf of veterans and their families. Support systems that are not following their mandate to work in behalf of veterans need to be called to accountability.
A new patriotism is one that offers comfort, solace, support, intervention, and all kinds of active support for veterans who willingly serve, often many tours of duty.
It is more than a travesty that so many veterans sink into despair and despondency when the nation for which they have fought so valiantly ignores them. It is time that Americans in great numbers stand tall for those whose injuries and handicaps and disabilities, have rendered them unable to fight anymore. We need to fight for them.
So, it is not only a government agency that needs to be called to account; it is all of us who blithely go about our daily lives without realizing the pain, emotional and physical, that many veterans are experiencing.
Pragmatic Action is Necessary
If waving the flag or reciting the Pledge is a priority, translate that need into pragmatic patriotism that seeks to show care, compassion and active support for wounded veterans.
No more false sentimentality, please. Let us stand for those whose lives have been all but taken from them because of wars waged and service rendered. If you know a veteran who has returned and is experiencing difficulty because of injuries sustained: