What I Really Think of Our Veterans
Bob Niemeyer
October 1, 2016
To understand why our Veterans are important to America, people need to understand what the concept of “Treasure” is. I am sure that many of the people have heard the term “Risk our Nation’s youth and treasure” when this Nation considers going to war. If you haven’t, please follow along.
Picture, if you will, a “Treasure Chest” with many valuable contents. Now most people at this point would envision a pile of gold coins or jewel encrusted goblets and candlesticks. But we are attempting to picture “America’s Treasure Chest” and what is really inside. And, as part of this picture, there are Americans around the chest that are contributing to the Treasure at every step of their lives though taxes, through increasing their value to the People by education or starting a business, or becoming part of our Military to protect our Nation from enemies.
Within that chest are our roads, bridges, buildings, homes, or everything that We the People have built. And yes there is gold and our money. But also in that chest is our Safety, our Freedom, and what America has built to protect both our Safety and Freedom because Safety and Freedom has “Value” to us all. And, for those who have joined the military, our military personnel. Our military are inside the Treasure Chest along with the ships, Hummers, bombers, or anything and everything we have built to protect this Nation.
When it comes time for the military personnel to leave the Treasure Chest to join the Americans around the outside of chest, they become our Veterans. The “Value” of what they contributed stays in the chest. Those who sacrificed all for this Nation stays in the chest. Those who sacrificed by being wounded both physically and mentally stay in the chest. And those who have dedicated their careers and significant part of their lives stay in the chest. It is up to the People around that chest to help them get out and become part of the living and thriving Americans that the military risked all to protect.
–For those who gave the last full measure, they shall never have the chance to become a Veteran. We the People can thank them only with the promise that they will come home and be honored for their service. Their “Value” to the People shall remain as part of our Treasure. A Treasure that we remember when we sing the National Anthem before events, Pledge Allegiance to the Flag, or celebrate our freedoms through parades or placing flags on the graves of the fallen.
–For those who were wounded, both physically and mentally, We the People made a promise to help them become Veterans by providing what was required for their return to standing with Americans around the chest. A promise that includes healthcare (both physical and mental), training in a new vocation, and help finding a job that will help that Veteran contribute “Value” to the Americans around the chest.
–For those who learned skills that are not needed outside of the chest or have dedicated their careers to maintaining the “Value” of our Safety and Freedom, We the People made promises to retrain through the GI Bill, vocational help, or pensions that would help our Veterans maintain the “Value” of what they had to leave in the chest.
It is the “Value” that I speak of that our Veterans have to this Nation that We the People are obligated to maintain. Our elected officials, in many cases, decided not to keep the promises that were given to our Veterans. Some elected officials have done nothing but cut holes in the chest and allow the “Value” of what is inside to leak out for the purposes of buying votes to keep themselves in office. Many of our elected officials seem to forget (conveniently so) that We the People around the chest see what we have contributed and are watching them ignore us all by continuing to give away what so many built for our future for their personal gain. And most of our elected officials let the few that have short memories or are chopping holes in the chest get away with such actions.
Notice that our elected officials are not or will ever be part of the Treasure. They represent the People, and as such, their job is to maintain the “Value” of our Treasure to the People. Notice that some officials have chopped holes in the chest and let resources out that could have gone to increasing the “Value” of our education, maintaining the “Value” of our Veterans and what they contributed, or the “Value” to us all of our safety and freedom for the express purpose of staying in office.
And notice that some elected officials make themselves look good by polishing themselves to look like something We the People may want to place in the chest. There is no amount of polish that will ever make an elected official worth placing in the chest, only his or her actions that maintain the “Value” of our treasure can do that. No elected official will ever be placed in the chest that does not maintain the “Value” of our Veterans.
I personally thank all of the People of the United States of America for making up for elected officials that have not kept the promises we made to Veterans. The little things we all do like a discount or hiring a Veteran to help he or she stand with the Americans around the chest all contribute to a Veterans “Value”.
There is one other part of the Treasure that no one can hold in their hands. It is simply “Pride” in our Nation. The “Value” of “Pride” is by far the worst thing that can be allowed to leak out of the Treasure Chest. For “Pride” is one of the precious few things of “Value” that also exist outside of the chest in our hearts and minds. Our Veterans represent that “Pride” and have earned our support because We the People believe in what they did for us all as much as our Veterans believed in America.