Veterans' Day

I just wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our veterans, from the "latest generation, to the greatest generation", as the History Channel says. It is difficult to comprehend the sacrifices that men and women of the armed forces have made, but Veterans' Day is the perfect opportunity to make the effort.

No matter what your political stance, I think that we can all agree that our soliders, whether active duty, retired, and everything in between, deserve our respect. They also deserve the best support that our country can give them. The situation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center was appalling, not only for the terrible physical conditions of the buildings and the nightmare of administrative red tape, but for the backlash that followed. Changes have been made, thanks to the huge public outcry that followed the publication in February 2007 of the Washington Post story, but wounded veterans still face immense struggles.

There are many organizations out there that are dedicated to helping recovering veterans and their families; here's one that I think is great: The Wounded Warrior Project. Its mission is to "assist those men and women of our armed forces who have been severely injured during the conflicts in Iraq , Afghanistan , and other locations around the world. Many of the injuries are traumatic amputations, gunshot wounds, burns and blast injuries that will retire these brave warriors from military service." On their website, the WWP offers lots of ways to assist in this mission.
Edit: a friend at work just told me about this program and I think it's awesome! When you're making out your Christmas cards this year (and I know you, blogging community, you LOVE sending Christmas cards!), please send at least one to:

A Recovering American soldier

c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue,NW

Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

On a personal note, happy Veterans' Day, Daddy. Thank you for all that you gave in service to your country.



Dad in Korea, 1958