Just like Valentine’s Day and Thanksgiving’s Black Friday, Veterans Day is at risk of becoming a holiday taken over by free lunches and discount deals.
While these perks are nice, Veterans Day should be much more than a day where those who serve can go grab a free bite to eat from large corporate restaurant chains like Applebee’s as thanks for their service.
A free meal or 20% discount doesn’t seem like an adequate enough thanks for the service done for us by our veterans.
The military is a huge commitment, even in the reserves. It isn’t a regular job, where you can submit your two weeks and move on if the current leadership is insufficient in caring for their employees.
Once someone signs the dotted line, they are subjected to a whole new set of laws on top of the laws regular citizens are held to. There can be monetary and physical consequences for failing to obey the orders of someone who ranks higher than you, even if they said you can only eat soup with a fork.
Younger generations aren’t taking any crap. If they are being mistreated by their manager, they’ll quit on the spot. No two weeks’ notice. And good on them, that’s what they should do. They deserve an employer that will treat them as a human.
Given that, it’s even harder for a generation which believes in controlling their own destiny to give that up to a government which seems to be growing larger in a time of political divisiveness and a pandemic.
There’s no way for a soldier to quit after they sign a contract with the U.S. government. There’s no easy way to get away from bad leaders or outdated laws. There is no way soldiers can do what so many are doing during today’s labor shortage: creating room for better opportunities.
Joining the military is an experience that, unless you go through it, is very hard to describe. Deciding to defend the country under the name of the Army was a huge decision for me, and I knew at 17 years old that the next six years of my life would be a constant conflict between my education and my military career.
For other soldiers, that conflict might look like being unable to witness the birth of your baby or their first steps, missing out on holidays and birthdays ; giving a last goodbye only to return to a ruined relationship or a beloved family member’s death.
Being in the military is a conflict in more ways than just fighting for our country with guns and ships. It’s a conflict with personal life as well.
There are many things I love about the military, especially the comradery. There is nothing like being able to trust your fellow soldiers after going through the same difficult situations together. But this doesn’t mean I enjoy being in the military.
My Army experience has been easy compared to some. I haven’t served for 20 years, I’ve never been deployed, I haven’t had many great accomplishments in the Army to show the strength of mind and body. Many other soldiers are in the same boat.
Some soldiers are sent out into the world and come back as a completely different person, or they might not come home at all.
Some sacrifices are much greater and more difficult to deal with than others, and the atmosphere of conflict in the military is difficult to volunteer to be a part of, but whether you are simply reporting to drill once a month or giving your life in service to America, all veterans deserve to be celebrated.
Veterans Day is a day to thank all of those who have signed the dotted line and joined the military. Whether a veteran is from the Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard, all of them deserve to be celebrated for being part of the few Americans who decided to give away a part of their lives in service to our country.
The military is not just a job. It’s a lifestyle, and one that is in constant conflict with personal life because being a soldier is 24/7, 365 days a year. You never know what a soldier might have gone through, or when they’re going to get called on to leave on duty.
So on this Veterans Day, call a soldier and tell them you’re proud of them, have a conversation and ask about their experiences. Ask about the sacrifice they’ve made and be aware that their decision is worth much more than a free meal and a discount.
Anteia McCollum can be reached at [email protected]