Thank You Veterans, and Also . . . See

Saying “Thank you for your service” is just the beginning of supporting our Veterans.  It’s important to acknowledge that there are all kinds of Veterans out there:

• Career military people who gave at least 20 years of their lives in service to our country
• Veterans who served but were never deployed
• Veterans who are wounded warriors whose lives are forever altered physically and/or mentally after their deployment

I’d like our nation to focus on this last group today.

Pete Souza, President Obama’s White House Photographer met Army Ranger Cory Remsburg in 2014.  After five years of recovery Sgt Remsburg joined Mrs. Obama in the House Chamber Balcony during the State of the Union that year. And Souza has continued to take photos of Cory Remsburg after the glow of publicity faded away.

It was said that Cory Remsburg “has never given up.”  We would like to believe that every injured Veteran is that kind of hero – one who never gives up and who smiles valiantly through the pain.

Please read this article today as an act of appreciation for our Veterans.  It clarifies not only the heroism of this particular Veteran Cory Remsburg.  It also describes what has happened in the ten years since his injury.  His brain has changed.  His parents’ lives have changed.  His future has changed.  And he still cannot walk without assistance.

There are hundreds of Veterans like Cory Remsburg.  And there are other Veterans who have died by suicide when the injuries became too much to bear.

We Americans need to be sure to vote for candidates who will fully fund the best medical care and physical therapy in the world for these Veterans.  We need to focus on what best supports the military and their families in appreciation of their service. Check out this list of deferred projects that would have benefited our military but was deferred to spend money – instead – on the wall at the Southern Border:

• A Child Development Center in Maryland
• An Ambulatory Care Center in North Carolina
• A Fire Crash Rescue Station in Florida

The list is long.

It’s not enough to say, “Thank you for your service” today.  We need to support our Veterans in tangible, economic actions.  Please vote to support them.

Image of Army Ranger Cory Remsburg after one of his dozens of surgeries.