Honoring Our Veterans

There can be no doubt that our veterans have sacrificed much more than we can imagine. We duly honor them every Veteran's Day and Memorial Day, remembering those who served. We honor not only those who survived and are still with us but those who died, those who gave limbs and eyes and sacrificed forever their peace of mind when they served. We are exhorted to "support the troops," but if we really want to honor our veterans, supporting our servicemen and women has to be far more than a bumper sticker slogan. 

We can honor our veterans by not being so eager to make more of them in the first place. Whether it is the Ukraine, Nigeria, or Syria, a number of politicians are ever-eager to send American troops into countries around the world, often without full consideration of whether this is even a good idea. American troops were sent into Iraq on what turned out to be a lie, and as a result over three thousand servicemen lost their lives, with countless more wounded who will require continued care throughout their lives. The same people who bungled Iraq are eager to go back in, unapologetic to say the least. Surely we can do better than this, if we really want to honor our veterans? Surely we should at least do them the courtesy of making sure their undeniable sacrifice is not for nothing? The first and most basic way we can honor our veterans is to make sure we aren't sending our soldiers to war on a whim, to make sure that their service means something. 

Sometimes war is unavoidable, however, and we can recognize the sacrifices of those who served by fulfilling our promise to take care of them when they return. It starts with ensuring that they get the proper care that they have more than earned, and on this account both parties have failed us abysmally. The state of affairs at the Veterans Administration is a disgrace, and both Democrats and Republicans have failed to resolve the issue. While some VA hospitals perform admirable service, the Department of Veterans Affairs has bungled quite a lot, and stands in need of reform to better serve our veterans.

Honoring our veterans doesn't end with healthcare, however. Just as the G.I. bill after the Second World War helped servicemen and women transition back into civilian life through help attending college and finding jobs, we can honor our veterans by helping them ease their way back into society. While the Post-9/11 G.I bill helps many, it is not doing enough. Recently-returned veterans suffer a much higher rate of unemployment than the rest of the population, and surely we can see our way to helping them find gainful employment as a way to transition back into our society? Disgracefully, a jobs bill aimed at veterans was defeated by the GOP in the Senate. Even more shamefully, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama called care for veterans an "entitlement," as he voted against a bipartisan bill that did pass the Senate with overwhelming support.

We can honor our veterans by reining in predatory, for-profit schools that specifically target veterans, happily taking their money but providing them very little to show for it. It is estimated that up to 23% of G.I. bill benefits have gone to these for-profit schools that lure in veterans with promises of a degree that gets them a job, but instead bilk whatever money they can get in exchange for a piece of paper that is essentially worthless. 

We can honor veterans by making sure that the families of active-duty soldiers aren't barely scraping by. You might be forgiven for thinking that, as the U.S. military is one of the largest pieces of the federal budget, our soldiers and their families are well taken care of. Instead, much of that money goes to military contractors, and many families of soldiers rely on food stamps or other assistance to get by. What a shameful way to treat those who are already sacrificing so much! If we truly want to honor our veterans, we can take aim at low wages for soldiers. No one who signs up for military service should also have to sign up for SNAP benefits. 

These are only a few of the instances where we are failing our veterans. If we really want to honor those who served this Veterans Day, we have to support them in real, concrete ways that address existing needs. If we do not, then all the platitudes about honoring veterans, all the ceremonies and pledges and songs are meaningless gestures.