How we can honor veterans - every day
By Rabbi Eli Hecht
Posted: 11/10/2009 Press Telegram
Today, on Veterans Day, newspapers are full of advertisements for the best deals of the day. Ironically, most people who take advantage of Veterans Days sales may not be veterans. Many veterans are dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to traumatic events that threatened or caused great physical harm such as brain injury.
Then there are physical handicaps - broken bones and backs. And there are broken families. Amputees are learning how to live their lives in a normal fashion, while suicides are all-too frequent.
It was Nov. 11, 1919, when President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day. In 1953 schools supported closing their doors on Nov. 11 to honor veterans. President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law on May 26, 1954.
I often wonder how I can give back to the veterans who have fought and are still fighting personal battles and war injuries. Their challenges are constant and heartbreaking.
My wife, a 24-year physician at one of the VA hospitals, tells me of the travails and hardships the veterans experience. From the 18-year-olds to her oldest patient, who is 99, all have maladies relating to their efforts to guarantee our freedom. Some veterans date back to earlier wars and are joined by recent returnees from Iraq and Afghanistan. They all come with requests to be helped, healed and recognized for their contribution to our great and glorious country.
On a practical level what can we do to help the veterans?
As a long-term commitment, we should make our homes open to veterans by offering them support, both emotionally and financially. My wife and I have decided to honor our Sabbath table with veterans. At times our Sabbath meal is surrounded by veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Middle East conflicts. Our oldest member is 87; our youngest is in his 30s. The common threat that brings us all together is recognizing contributions to guarantee freedom.
One of my colleagues, Allen Gralnik, a retired lieutenant of the United States Naval Reserve, says, "Freedom is not free; someone in the past has paid for it." How true are his words. As a cancer survivor he keeps on giving. Every month he visits an Alzheimer's unit, bringing hope and solace to patients.
On a spiritual level, Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski is a psychiatrist who focuses on self improvement, problems of alcoholism and self esteem. He is widely recognized for the wisdom he brings to people seeking to enrich their lives. He is also a rabbi and therefore touches on spirituality and its importance. In his last book, "Happiness and the Human Spirit," he writes that "the human spirit requires essential nutrients. To the extent that we supply these nutrients, we are happy. To the extent that we are deprived of these nutrients, we suffer from what I call Spiritual Deficiency Syndrome (SDS)."
So this Veterans Day make a commitment and bring some spirituality into our lives and add kindness to the world. You can do something by making sure you don't suffer from SDS. Do something spiritual. Join a house of worship or extend a helping hand to someone who has less than you. You don't have to a veteran to be a caring person. Just remember the sacrifices made for you and the world by the veterans of all wars.