According to most dictionaries, a veteran is a person who has either had much experience with or has served in our armed forces. We use the term “first responders” when speaking about the men and women who come to our aid in time of crisis, danger or emergency. Perhaps the term “Forever Responders” can be coined when we refer to the brave human beings who don the uniform of our five branches of the United States military. Whether a person served or is serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard, they are deserving of our recognition and praise. Hence, a day is set aside for such a purpose!
Today we see fit to proclaim our admiration and respect for our fellow Americans of all genders and persuasions and hues. Perhaps, though, we should be mindful of these heroes of ours more than one day a year, not necessarily in public, but in our minds and hearts. Over the decades, hundreds of thousands of our friends, neighbors and strangers have opted to serve the country, and by so doing, us, in the defense of those principles which we hold dear, and state in our official governmental documents. Whether the person was conscripted or volunteered, this fellow American gave up personal freedom to help ensure the freedom of the rest of us. So much must go into the decision to serve one’s country in one of several manners, since the military involves both combat and non-combat duties.
Two college classmates of mine lost their lives as second lieutenants during the Vietnam War, a mere three months after graduation. On the other hand, another of my close college friends spent years behind a desk in Hawaii. Yet a fourth served as a doctor in three of the nation’s naval hospitals. For a myriad of reasons, many of us supported our soldiers by engaging in other jobs which supported the efforts of our uniformed brothers and sisters.
A close examination of the bond which makes all these men and women so special, especially those who experienced combat, reveals that sweat and blood and fear are extremely meaningful partners, and when shared, one with the other, there is absolutely no duplication. Knowing that indeed you are your brother’s or sister’s keeper instills in a person a sense of personal responsibility which is unparalleled. The veteran leaves that experience a different person, hopefully a better one, a person reborn as a result of interacting with total strangers, people who may not look like one another or even think like one another, except for the fact that they were all in the same space and time for one reason – to uphold the ideals of this great nation, no matter what aspect of those ideals each person may advance or profess. My goodness, we seem to be able to get along, once we realize that we are all on the same side, fighting a common enemy. Food for thought, perhaps! After all, so many lifelong friendships have resulted from military service.
For our non-combatants, they too gained a camaraderie not necessarily found in an office on Wall Street. These, also properly termed “veterans,” found themselves behind desks and computers not of their choosing, but assigned to them by the United States government. They came into these facilities or even barracks as a result of orders signed by colonels and generals unknown to them. These equally brave souls are guiding our missiles, our spacecrafts, procuring weapons and supplies, watching our skies for any signs of misbehavior by our adversaries. All of these wonderful and stalwart human beings are working in harmony and cooperation with one another for one another, and for America.
So today, and every year on this day, once called Armistice Day, we take some time to remember our veterans. A few of us might recall when the name of the day was changed in 1954 from the term denoting a truce in war to the word which would celebrate the contributions of the gentlemen and ladies who gave so much, including life and limb, for their country. Yes, “Thank you for your service” shall be heard and echoed all day today, and maybe even tomorrow. However, these, after all, are our Forever Responders, and thus remain revered for more than just a day.
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Peter E. Carter is a former public school administrator who has served communities in three states as a principal, and district and county superintendent, for 35-plus years. He is a board member for Delaware Botanic Gardens and Cape Henlopen Educational Foundation, and the author of a dual autobiography, “A Black First…the Blackness Continues.”
