Veterans Day 2017

Veterans Day is a day designated to honor those who have served our nation in the military. In times of war and times of peace, military service requires sacrifice to the nation by an individual. Veterans are those who accepted that they have an obligation to serve.

I believe those who enter the military are idealists. They, unlike so many others, believe citizens who benefit from living in this country have an obligation to protect and serve the nation. They accept the sacrifices made to keep the nation safe from those who would want to see us weakened or destroyed. While others in the government have the same mission, it is the military who place themselves “in harm’s way” to physically block and repel our enemies and to protect and assist our citizens in times of disasters.

Civilians often think of veterans as those in direct combat, but that is a mistake. There are those who keep our aircraft flying, ships sailing, our missiles ready, our radars and other electronics functioning. These support personnel, as well as many others, keep the most complex military in the world ready and prepared. In the Army, it has been estimated eight to 10 soldiers occupy the support positions needed to keep one combat soldier in the field. Both support and combat personnel can be deployed overseas any time with little or no warning.

The number of military veterans is counted by each state. Estimates of the total number of veterans place the veteran population at 20 million to 24 million. In 1973, the U.S. changed to an all-volunteer military, and the number of living veterans has declined steadily since.

The ongoing war on terror has meant the current military must maintain a high state of readiness to face the changing threat levels. Added to this has been the increasing threat from North Korea and the military aggression of Russia in Eastern Europe. The uncertainty of what may be demanded of them next is a stress the members of the military live with every day.

This Veterans Day, we should recognize, honor and respect those who have served and those who still protect and defend the United States as they have since 1775.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.