Our debt to veterans can never be re-paid

Often I have read complaints and queries regarding Veteran’s Day — specifically regarding how it is also used to mention those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

While it’s true Memorial Day is designated to honor and remember those who died in battle, Veterans Day is a day to honor ALL veterans, both the survivors and the fallen. Ask any wartime veteran: The two cannot be separated.All veterans who served in time of war, and particularly in battle, are haunted by the thought of “Why me? Why am I here when my buddy is not?”

So for veterans, Memorial Day is a day when we reflect and are touched deeply by the sacrifice of our comrades in arms who fell defending our country and way of life. On Veterans Day, we realize that for those surviving the war(s), it could have been different.

Some veterans volunteered; some were drafted. Some served in a theater of war, some in ancillary duties. On Veterans Day, all are equal.

Veterans have shared memories, shared stories. And there are reminders life goes on with or without them. One is captured in a Johnnie Taylor song: “Ain’t no use in goin’ home, Jody’s got your girl and gone.”

Then there’s a common military cadence — a prayer, really — that goes, “I don’t know but I believe, I’ll be home by Christmas Eve.” How many spent Christmases in the jungles or in the snows defending our country while stateside others celebrated holidays in the warm comfort of their homes with family? At budget time, politicians sometimes complain about and want to reduce that part of the budget pertaining to veterans benefits and call it an “entitlement.” It is an insult. Missed holidays and Jody taking your girl are minor compared to the lives veterans have lived, particularly those in battle, constantly reliving the bombs, the bullets and the smell of napalm in the morning, the missing limbs and the missing comrades.

A part of life is gone that will never be recaptured or replaced. Only another veteran can relate. And often they do at gatherings over a beer. They share feelings, often remarkably with no one speaking. And, in what may be news to some, veterans after having served, have had to fight for benefits due them.

Were it not for the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars reminding the politicos after the fighting is done, veterans would merely have a parade and be forgotten. Or in the case of Vietnam vets, not even a parade, just merely forgotten. A bit of history: In 1932, thousands of World War I veterans camped out in Washington, D.C., to petition their government for bonuses they felt were owed. Their campsite was forcibly overrun by the U.S. Army, and at least two veterans were killed by police.

President Franklin Roosevelt told the American Legion National Convention in 1933 that “No person because he wore a uniform must thereafter be placed in a special class of beneficiaries over and above other citizens.” One may think, “Well, that was 1932; we’ve come a long way since then.”

But Vietnam veterans are still stung by the lack of respect and the failure of our society to welcome them home. And there were no jobs, because just as Jody had taken “your girl and gone,” Jody also took the jobs and gone. And so we have the benefits — benefits earned not given — that perhaps will allow the veteran some measure of parity, that allow the veteran an opportunity to re-enter and take his or her place in society.

You see, what many have failed to realize is veterans do not ask to be part of a “special class.” All veterans want is a shot at the American dream we fought so hard to defend. Most Americans profess to truly love our veterans, especially at gatherings on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. And while their feelings are usually sincere, it is important to remember that veterans are defending us 365 days a year.

The service of our armed forces often goes unnoticed by those of us who enjoy the security that sacrifice is providing. Our debt, America’s debt to these heroes can never be re-paid, but our gratitude and respect must last forever. And remember: Politicians make the wars; our veterans finish them. So on Veterans Day, let us say a heartfelt “Thank you!” and for Vietnam veterans especially, at long last “Welcome Home!”

Carlos Zaragoza, recently an Imperial Irrigation District director candidate, is a Vietnam veteran. He lives in Holtville.