Are Veterans the Heroes Who Keep On Giving?

Think how much poorer society would be without these veterans coaching youth sports teams, coordinating fundraisers, serving on boards (industrial, school, library), organizing neighborhood watches and just generally making life better for the rest of us.

Some veterans may become paradigm-changing entrepreneurs or deep-pocketed philanthropists. But even the most humble still have something to offer long after they can no longer fit into their old uniform.

True, veterans who serve only a single tour of duty will likely have many more years for a productive civilian life than do career military personnel. But the careerists can earn double honors. Their well-deserved retirement years don’t have to be limited to sitting in a rocking chair, reminiscing. Retirement can be a rich time of mentoring, volunteerism and leadership.

It can be monotonous to spend 365 days a year constantly reminding veterans of what they did in Germany, the South Pacific, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf or Afghanistan; but avail yourself of every opportunity to recognize veterans for what they’re doing now.

If a veteran goes the extra mile for you on a loan approval, helps your child secure a scholarship, spearheads a “downtown beautification” campaign, saves your company a bundle with some ingenious workaround or changes your flat tire, be sure to show your appreciation.

Veterans should not be frozen in amber. Yes, they have a past, but they also have a present and a future.

Thanks, Larry, for serving your country by traveling half a world away from home. But thanks even more for all the lives you’ve touched since then.

Danny Tyree welcomes email responses at tyreetyrades@aol.com and visits to his Facebook fan page “Tyree’s Tyrades.”