We awaken to music and push the snooze for nine more minutes of rest,
…He awakens to sounds of heavy trucks moving nearby
He is a Soldier
We roll out of bed and head for the shower,
…He hasn’t showered in days
He is a Soldier
We spend ten minutes picking out the right tie,
…He only wishes he had some clean socks
He is a Soldier
We walk into the kitchen where we first see our wife today,
…He sees his loved ones only in his memory
He is a Soldier
We enjoy the toast and eggs as we sip our first cup of java,
…He stands in line for powdered eggs and wishes his coffee tasted like coffee
He is a Soldier
We complain about traffic on our daily commute,
...He will walk every where he goes today
He is a Soldier
We spend all day wondering if our co-worker will get the promotion we deserve,
…He wonders which of his buddies will die today
He is a Soldier
We rush down to the café griping about how short an hour lunch can seem,
…He waits in line again just to get a bowl of indistinguishable soup
He is a Soldier
We spend all afternoon plotting the best way to avoid traffic on our way home,
…He wonders what locale he will call home for the night
He is a Soldier
We look down our nose at the vagrant digging through trash wearing an old Army jacket,
…He is only looking for something to eat or wrap up in for the cold night ahead
He is THAT Soldier
I heard a while back that tens of thousands of veterans are homeless. Not that I hadn’t heard this before, but with Veteran’s Day coming (at the time) it hit home. My heart sank as I pondered a nation with such blessings allowing their heroes to sleep under bridges. These men served just as valiant as any other soldier, sailor, or marine. They left home and family to stand in the gap for our families. Some fought wars, some just stood in service. All deserve our respect.
I settled this a while back. I refuse to be modest about my military service because I feel it devalues what others like me have done. I left the Army Reserve for Regular Army in 1991. I signed my enlistment with the reports of the latest bombing runs in Iraq playing in the background. The LT thought that would make the enlistment more significant. Moments later I raised my hand and swore an oath to our nation. My graduating class at MP school was the first in almost a year not to go directly to Saudi Arabia.
When I left the service in 1994, family helped me get back on my feet. I lived with an aunt, then my brother till I was able to save enough money for an apartment. I worked three jobs at times and after realizing I wasn’t getting back into Law Enforcement, went to truckdriving school in 1996. Without the help of my family, I could have also ended up homeless.
It pains me to know that some of my Brothers in Arms are curling up with a bottle of cheap liquor under the Parkway as I type this very message. The reasons they are there vary. Some might even deserve to be there.
I’ve heard all the stories about those who have unsuccessfully tried to help Huntsville’s homeless.
It is easy to turn our backs on them and judge them as wanting to be there, but does compassion judge?
1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind…
I’m not announcing a new program, or surrendering to new work dealing with the homeless Vets. I’m just being the town crier. It’s 11pm and all is not well in our country.
What can we do? If you know of a way to help them, do so. Write your congressmen. We find it easy to write them when they want to raise our taxes. This is much more important than money.
They stood for us. Now, it’s our turn.
Pray that our nation begins showing more honor to its veterans.
