Veterans deserve this day — and much more

We named it Veterans Day, a day the country set aside to pay respects and honor the men and women of the United States military.

Originally named Armistice Day, the day marked the end of World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. The holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

Throughout the nation, veterans will be celebrated with parades, photos and speeches as Americans express their gratitude.

President Donald Trump will undoubtedly make a speech detailing the importance of our troops and the necessity of making sure they are given the services they need upon returning home.

Members of Congress, as well as state and local politicians and dignitaries, will participate in activities both solemn and celebratory.

And it will be no different here in Connecticut, where activities are set up throughout the state.

We, too, will applaud speeches, wave flags as veterans march past and listen to veterans recall their time of duty.

And media in every town and city will capture the moments, highlight the pageantry and extol the efforts of veterans to keep America safe and uphold its values and traditions.

All as it should be.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports there are about 209,882 veterans living in the Nutmeg state.

Nationwide, there are 18.5 million veterans living in the U.S. in 2017 — 1.6 million of them are women and 9.2 million are over the age of 65, according to Census.gov.

Most returned home from active duty and readjusted to civilian life.

But on Saturday, not all veterans will be part of the moments or highlights or have their efforts extolled as they tell the other side of maintaining freedom.

Because not all soldiers came home as they left. Some are having real problems.

Many veterans live on the battlefield of poverty, living in shelters or on the streets. Many veterans don’t know where their next meal is coming from unless they seek out a community meal. Many veterans are suffering from mental health issues and are not getting services they need. We have veterans suffering from PTSD and other mental health issues and using drugs to hide the pain.

Maybe it’s because we don’t provide them with enough avenues to get the services they need.

We have nearly 19 million veterans but only 1,231 VA outpatient sites; 300 vet centers; 145 veterans hospitals and only 56 regional offices where veterans can get benefit information.

The numbers speak for themselves.

It is not enough to put stickers on our cars, wave flags at parades and bow our heads in a moment of silence.

Some veterans come home with their lives altered forever, living without arms or legs or eyesight due to injuries sustained while fighting for us.

Our veterans need help — and they deserve all that we can give them.

Too many still need jobs and a decent place to live.

Here in Connecticut, nearly 44,000 veterans live in homes under subpar conditions with one or more major problems — poor quality, overcrowding, or costly.

These are real problems that must be resolved.

The U.S. does provide many admirable services to help veterans — but they fall short of what is needed in some critical areas.

Let us not celebrate their service Saturday but ignore the consequences that sometimes come with defending the red, white and blue.

Let’s us honor them for their service on the day named in their honor — but also remember to honor them once the pageantry of the day has faded.

They didn’t flinch when it came time to serve the nation — and now, we shouldn’t flinch when it is our time to serve them.