Editorials |

John Macdonald: Today, thank a vet for their service

It is Veterans Day 2020. Observances are scaled back and gatherings are limited like everything else during these days of COVID-19. As we did during every other holiday in 2020, we will do things differently, but we must resolve to honor those who, for whatever their reason, wore the uniform and served our country in the United States military.

Regardless of where a veteran served, no matter when, no matter what branch, whether it be during a time of war, peace, stateside or overseas, that veteran took a risk. The veteran blindly served, with the sworn obligation to do exactly what was asked of them regardless of the consequences. The veteran served under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, took an oath to protect the U.S. Constitution, and was never released from that obligation.

Veterans belong to a unique club. They are part of the greatest racial unifier in the history of the world. Vets come from all walks of life, economic statuses, places from around the country and sometimes from around the world.

Whether they came from the seaside neighborhood of Ocean City, N.J., the violent inner-city streets of Chicago, the rural dusty dirt roads of West Virginia, perhaps an all-Spanish speaking barrio within Los Angeles or the upper middle class Belvidere neighborhood of Lowell, Mass., they all united at one time and served this country.

Veterans Day is to honor the living. The butcher behind the counter at the grocery store, the schoolteacher creating her lesson plan or the police officer directing traffic. Our brave veterans are omnipresent. Your mother, your grandfather, aunt, or friend might have just served in a place, most Americans have had the privilege of never experiencing. Veterans did their jobs, sacrificing and dedicating themselves to a cause so that every American citizen might  live under the blanket of freedom.

In the United States of America we endeavor to be good, but that journey can only maintain if those in uniform are consistently great. And they are. Our democratic experiment improves the lives of people from coast to coast and even across the globe but it it only survives because brave men and women put their own interests aside assume the role of protector.

Thank God they do.

There are some who do not fully appreciate the work those who serve do for us and many are determined to be a loud and disruptive voice, but today is not their day. It is the day to thank those who provide a safe setting for dissent, who protect the rights of all to have a say in the public square and who guard our freedom with the determination of a sentry.

They do their duty in the battle of Iwo Jima, the jungles of Vietnam, the skies over the desert sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan.

Most veterans I know are not looking for much of anything by way of recognition, today. Many would rather dispense with the formalities, and would just prefer a tip of the cap or a warm smile in thanking them for their service. Unfortunately, this year, we don’t have much of a choice in expressing limited gratitude, because of the virus.

So, make that phone call, knock on that door while social distancing, send that email and take a purposeful pause and deep breath while passing our beautiful flag. Honor a veteran today, Veterans Day.

John MacDonald is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Operation Desert Storm and a veterans’ advocate.