Steve Frey
The Radford Veterans of Foreign Wars recently donated a United States flag to Radford High School. The news story in this newspaper mentioned that they give flags to schools, government offices and a local cemetery.
These donations are a significant contribution to the community and an excellent example of patriotism for our students.
The VFW was also involved in recognizing Radford first responders at a recent city council meeting. This acknowledgment is very appropriate because who understands the concept of service better than the veterans of our armed forces?
Our veterans continue their dedication to our country in many ways, and we should show them our appreciation for their service to our nation both in uniform in the past and as part of public-spirited service organizations today.
Whether it’s participation in a parade, a color guard for a special program, volunteering at a VA center, remembering the American heroes who served in our armed forces at a funeral service or in numerous other ways, these veterans’ organizations make enormous contributions to our community.
My father served during the time of the Korean War and was a member of the American Legion. The post in our town sponsored American Legion baseball, scholarships, oratorical and essay contests, our boy scout troop, a July 4th festival and fireworks and even a pool program on the legion grounds that we all loved during those hot days of summer.
They made a tremendous impression on the young people of our community, and everyone appreciated the hard work and leadership of the Legionnaires to make those programs happen.
In those days, there were hundreds of members ranging in age from pre-WWII into the Vietnam era. There were dinners, dances and all kinds of holiday and themed social activities.
It is sad to hear that today, some of these service organizations around the country struggle with membership, especially considering the amount of beneficial community service that it provides.
At the school where I was principal, we always combined a Presidential Academic Awards ceremony with either a Flag Day or Memorial Day program.
The children would sing patriotic songs, read inspiring speeches like “The Gettysburg Address,” and the local VFW provided an honor guard.
It was terrific that they were able to participate in the program, and it always added a tangible sense of patriotism to our assembly as they solemnly entered and one of the children led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The American Legion and VFW provide many different programs and services that inspire a sense of patriotism and love of country in all of us. We are very fortunate to have veterans so dedicated to our nation and its well-being.
There are over 20 million veterans in the United States. Some served overseas or on bases in America. Some fought during WWII right up to the conflicts of today.
They spent time in jungles, deserts, hedgerows and extreme heat or bitter cold. Some volunteered, and some were drafted.
They all, however, dedicated a portion of their lives to the defense of our country, and the freedom of our citizens and people throughout the world.
They are a band of brothers (and sisters) who took an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” and they were willing to sacrifice everything to do that. All veterans know many who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Many others were wounded, some horribly. Some still carry with them the memories of war that they lived through and will never forget.
Not all wounds are visible and PTSD and other issues are very prevalent among our veterans.
The Veterans Administration exists to provide help to our returning veterans. Medical services, counseling, rehabilitation support for ongoing conditions and many other health-related services are provided by the VA.
Unfortunately, the VA has not always had a stellar reputation. There have been problems with appointment response time, medical mistakes, difficulty in maintaining enough staffing and poor general service in the past.
We recently had a change in leadership with the VA, though many felt that the previous administrator, David J. Shulkin, was beginning to show progress in tackling some of the issues facing the VA.
Shulkin has stated that he suspects that he may have been removed because there is a movement to try to privatize services and provide vouchers for veterans, destroying many of the VA services as we know them and he was in the way.
Dr. Shulkin wrote an Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post in which he said, “Working with community providers to adequately ensure that veterans’ needs are met is good practice. But privatization leading to the dismantling of the department’s extensive health care system is a terrible idea.
“The department’s understanding of service-related health problems, its groundbreaking research and its special ability to work with military veterans cannot be easily replicated in the private sector.”
Many veterans agree with Dr. Shulkin. They feel strongly that our country should strengthen our VA’s core system and use community resources to supplement those provided by the VA, not try to privatize the whole system.
All politicians use the same “talking points” about strengthening the VA. It is time to address once and for all the issue of providing our veterans the services they deserve.
We owe them a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay, but as a nation, we can at least provide them with the health services and benefits that they were promised and require as a result of their heroic contributions to our country.
We can show our appreciation for the dedication of our veterans by participating in Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Independence Day and other patriotic events with them.
We can remember to fly our American flag proudly. We can show gratitude for the work that veterans’ organizations like the VFW and the American Legion do in our communities. We can thank veterans for their service.
Yes, these are all great, but let’s give them the biggest thank you possible by making sure that they have the benefits and services they need.
Our veterans were there when we needed them most and made sacrifices that very few of us can truly imagine.
We should be there for them now and in the future.
Steve Frey is a writer and CEO of Ascendant Educational Services based in Radford.