On this Veteran’s day, our consciences must take us beyond congratulating and celebrating the service of our brave military personnel and their heroism. It must take us deeper into the heart of the service members of the American military and understand the values and morals of such an elite group. Understanding the challenges that the members of our military are taking and how it reflects on the public and the community in many ways.
To become a member of this committed group can affect many lives in society and add worthy pages to our history books. It is not enough to thank a veteran for the service that he/she provided to the nation. We must realizing the difficulty of the journey of these individuals as they have embraced pain and suffered to pave a smooth path for us in America. Such a sacrifice of the members of our military cannot begin to be described with dictionary words and there are not ample medals or certificates to reward them with. It is the (Honor) per se they have achieved and the distinguished respect they have earned.
The sacrifice is not limited to the individuals’ lives in this strenuous journey while in the military. The families and friends are also a major part of such a sacrifice. It is part of the commitment of being in uniform and in protecting the values of the United States.
The members of the military are not only sacrificing in the front line of the wars. Indeed, the sacrifice can be seen through the separation from friends and community and the need to leave their children and spouses behind that results in a high divorce rate. But the most common and invisible sacrifice is the psychological illnesses that arise as a consequence of active duty on the frontlines of war.
Generally, becoming a member of the military means prioritizing American people and believing and placing America ahead of everything else in one’s life. Literally laying one’s life on the line to protect others. This can be seen in the members of the U.S military.
Everyday, Americans must remember that a peaceful morning, a quiet evening, and a fearless night are attributed to the diligent struggle and sacrifice of our military. Indeed there is a direct correlation between American liberty and the military as they are the concrete that holds and protects the foundation of the United States.
On this Veteran’s Day and everyday, we salute every member of the United States military.
– Serwan Zangana supported Operation Iraqi Freedom as a U.S Army translator before coming to the U.S from Kurdistan, Iraq in 1997 to seek political asylum. He was granted asylum status and years later proudly became a U.S citizen. He currently serves as a correction officer in Roanoke.