President Woodrow Wilson declared Nov. 11 as the first tribute of Armistice Day in 1919. Armistice Day was a day for citizens to reflect and show gratitude and pride for the bravery of those who fought during the war. Since then, Veterans Day has become a celebration to honor not only World War I soldiers but all service members over the years.
Mahatma Gandhi said it best: “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” Times of crisis make clearer who the most vulnerable members of society are. They are always there, but too often people tend to ignore them until something makes them more visible.
There was a time when Veterans could be considered society’s most vulnerable and invisible. They were not treated with the dignity and respect that they deserved. They did not receive the reverence, tributes, or recognition that they rightfully deserved. This was such a poignant time in history considering their sacrifices.
When soldiers returned home from the Vietnam War, it was not uncommon for them to be met by protestors that were insensitive and cruel, who called them derogatory words and treated them as if they were less than human for fighting a war that they were drafted to fight. During the Vietnam War era, over 2.2 million men were drafted out of 22 million of those eligible. These individuals suffered not only suffered during the war but long after their return. Times have changed, and now Veterans are being shown appreciation and gratitude from society. They are being thanked for their service, and employers are seeking them for their ability, discipline, and experience, and most importantly, our government is improving their access to healthcare, mental health treatment, and housing and finances. These are great strides but there is still more work to be done.
Based on the 2015-2019 American Community Survey (ACS), conducted by the Census Bureau, Osceola County has approximately 17,000 veterans that live in our local communities. I am certain these numbers have increased since COVID-19.
These veterans served in major conflicts such as World Wars I and II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq War, and countless others.
We must remember and take into consideration that our Veterans may suffer with health, mental, psychological, and other issues that affect the way they interact and react daily. Veterans may experience not feeling emotions or feeling “numb.” This would affect their ability to make meaningful connections or appearing distant and aloof. They may appear jumpy, or edge and nervous. Veterans may also react to stress with “full activation” as if they were threatened or in harm’s way. This may cause irritability or extreme anger. This could result in them lashing out at those around them and could have a negative impact on their work or home environment.
Veterans may be triggered by loud noises, sudden movements, personal contact, invasion of personal space, certain conversations or topics, television shows related to war, large crowds, and many other things. We may not be able to easily or visibly see the symptoms in which they suffer (intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, distress, physical pain, sweating, nausea and trembling).
Veterans are living in our communities and so please continue to honor them, respect them and be aware of their needs that they may not express. Be aware that they may not enjoy fireworks, or get overwhelmed with crowds and decline invitations to events. They may even park in handicap areas and get out without visible scars, request tables in certain areas of the restaurants with their chairs facing a certain way, be offended by how close you stand or sit to them, or even get irritated or overwhelmed from something we think is trivial. Please be understanding and patient with our Veterans who did not ask to suffer from their distinction. Let’s continue to honor, appreciate, and thank the thousands of Veterans in our community and worldwide. Happy Veteran’s Day, and thank you for your service!
Dr. Starnes is the CEO of Starnes Education and Consulting Firm and Realtor with eXp Realty. She holds a Doctor in Business and serves as an adjunct professor at Valencia College. She is an enthusiastic advocate for people and a change agent for community stakeholders and partners.
