In this country, remembering veterans is reserved for one day of the year, Nov. 11. While this day is set aside to remember those who serve our country, helping veterans on a day-to-day basis would be much more American.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, veterans make up one-quarter of the country’s homeless population.
We should improve the situation for existing veterans, by helping them find employment and housing opportunities and preserving the medical care and benefits they so desperately need.
New challenges will rise from the war in Iraq, and soldiers returning from the current conflicts in the Middle East are becoming destitute more often and more quickly than veterans of past wars. We should be careful not to let them be forgotten and encourage Congress to maintain the necessary funding to assist the soldiers who fought for you and me.
Everyone has a responsibility to veterans who fought for our freedom; and even if you only offer something as simple as a “thank you” for their contributions to our independence, that’s a start.
Hopefully, we’ll keep their sacrifices in mind long after the 11th day of the 11th month. We should remember them for more than one day.