The answer is simple
Listen and be proactive members of society. Thats it.
It is no secret that there exists a divide in the United States between it’s military and veteran population and the civilian population. The gap seems to be exasperated by the ongoing “Forever Wars.” It is furthered by the underlying need for civilians to feel better about themselves not serving by routinely throwing empty “Thank you for your service!” phrases at veterans. It is contributed to even further by the veteran population’s constant need to feel like they are somehow better than everyone else.
Veterans sign up for a job that routinely (especially in this millennium) puts them in harm’s way. This alone means the rest of the population should look up to them, right?
No.
Its not that simple. Veterans are just regular people doing a job. When society places them on a pedestal, all sorts of pressure to live up to a societal ideal of a ‘warrior’ ensues.
The all-volunteer force was created to ease the burden on the rest of society. Every person in this country has a role that makes our society function, for some of us, that means soldiering, for others, that means selling stuff or building stuff, or teaching our children. Whatever it may be, just because you chose to join the military does not make you better than anyone.
Veterans — it is your responsibility to bridge the divide. Do not put the onus on civilians.
Veterans owe the people of the United States three things:
- Integrate. Do your best to integrate into the communities you find yourself in when you leave the service. Do not isolate yourself and only hang out with other veterans- find groups and activities that force you to meet other people. Then share. But bottom line, be a part of the communities you live in. Here’s a novel idea- subscribe to the local newspaper, attend community events, and make new friends.
- Share your story. No matter how insignificant you might think your part of the history of the “Forever War” maybe, I guarantee you that someone wants to hear it. Share the good stories, the funny stories; this is how our fallen brethren live forever.
- Be humble. Nobody likes a braggart. Do us all a favor, and do not share your story in a boastful, “look at me, I’m a badass operator, so you better thank me for my service” manner. Instead, be humble, do not boast, but when asked, share. There are plenty of look at me narcissists out there who cannot stop telling the world how awesome they are, military or not.
The people of the United States owe veterans these other three things:
- Ensure elected officials hold the government accountable so that they honor the promises made to veterans by said government when they enlisted. Currently, tens of thousands of veterans have not received their proper GI Bill payments. The Department of Veterans Affairs is a convoluted monstrosity of a government agency that seems to purposely make information difficult to find, and even its own employees don’t understand its complexities.
- Listen. Listen to veterans stories; help them heal by just listening. Do not be afraid to ask questions and call them on their bullshit, but most of all, listen so that they can feel a part of their communities again. Either way, have open and honest conversations.
- Be a community. Our country is so divided along political lines that we have lost our sense of community all over the country. Smart technology creates an echo chamber and has simultaneously reduced the need for people to rely on their neighbors. I believe with everything in my being that many veterans do not have PTSD necessarily, but rather adjustment problems. This is because veterans transition from a world where everything they do matters and people from literally all walks of life come together to accomplish their missions, to one divided into so many levels I couldn’t even begin to describe them.
The divide is real and will not close until we as a society decide to rid ourselves of the deification of a separate warrior class. That starts with the purported warrior class rejecting this role outright.
