A Day to Remember

Memorial Day isn't just a day off work to go to the beach and drink. But what are we remembering? Perhaps that…

• 1 and 4 homeless Americans have served our country.

• Roughly 45% of all homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic despite only accounting for 10.4% and 3.4% of the U.S. veteran population, respectively.

• 1 in 5 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are diagnosed with PTSD.

• Veterans account for 20 percent of U.S. suicides.

• Only a small percentage of veterans are qualified to receive benefits.

• Congress repeatedly slashes these benefits.

• The VA has been known to commonly provide inadequate treatment at poorly funded, inconveniently located facilities.

As far as I see it, all war/battles/fights/disagreements can be and always have been successfully resolved with creativity, intelligence, compassion, respect, love, forgiveness, and fairness. (If anything wasn't resolved that way, it still isn't fully resolved.)

Instead of more wars, how about we use those trillions on a coordinated worldwide effort that provides secure housing, nutritional meals, basic physical health care, substance abuse care and aftercare, mental health counseling, personal development and empowerment, job assessment, training and placement assistance.

My utmost respect goes to all beings and their families that choose to use their lives in service to others. Especially those who have given their youth, health, and innocence and the many who have given their lives in the hopes to give freedom and peace to others.