A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: On Aug. 22, 2005, my father, a World War II veteran who earned the Purple Heart, passed away on his birthday. Among the handful of people at his funeral were my special cousin on my late mother's side of the family and her wonderful husband; a couple of his relatives; Dad's special friend and her family, all of whom loved him dearly and were the only people to send the two flower arrangements. The homegoing service in the chapel of Wilson's Funeral Home in Chickamauga, GA, provided by extremely caring directors and a very spiritual minister, was beautiful; and the military salute at the veterans' memorial cemetery in Chattanooga, TN, was remarkably memorable and executed with the precision that my father deserved. Only now do I truly realize the sacrifices that he made in the name of freedom and for his family and nation. His death basically went unnoticed, but what he did for his country, along with many other men and women, should not be forgotten. The following was written before his death:
War Veterans Deserve Our Thanks
BY TONEY ATKINS
Many times, citizens of all races, colors and creeds in the United States take so much of our freedom for granted that we forget that many of the people walking among us are a major part of the reason that we have so much for which we should be thankful.
This reality hit very close to home during a telephone conversation I recently had with a home health care official who is among those dedicated nurses and therapists who are caring for my ailing father, who will soon be 84 years old.
She told me that when she first met him a couple of years ago, they talked about his experiences during World War II, during which he suffered back injuries in both a vehicular mishap and when a bomb exploded near him, throwing him back into a foxhole. As he shared other memories of hellish experiences in the European Theater of the war, she told him, "Thank you for what you did for our country."
The lady said that her heart was touched when tears came to his eyes. She said she told him he must hear that often. Dad replied, "You're the first person who has ever said that to me."
On the following holiday celebrating our nation's independence, the woman and a friend surprised him with patriotic balloons and cards of appreciation. Again, this aging war veteran was delighted and moved to tears.
Dad has never shared that experience with me, just as he has always avoided even speaking about his experiences during the war or the Purple Heart he earned. He has never even told me what role he played in the military.
However, in the past year or so, he has opened up about the horrible dreams of that period more than 60 years ago, waking up shaking from the vividness of the nightmares that still seemed very real, very now.
The back injuries he suffered then have been magnified by arthritis, and he is in constant agonizing pain that medications barely touch. The several years he spent abroad fighting for his country were not only the time he could have had with his bride and a new son, but became a secret part of his life has been impacted every day and every night since his young adulthood and into his waning days on earth.
Soldiers from the U.S. later fought in the Korean Conflict. As in the "Big War," many men and women came home, older than their years and never able to fully recapture the missed joys of lost youth. They served admirably, but I don't recall much ado being made over their heroism.
The unpopular Vietnam Conflict (the media seldom referred to it as a war because war was never officially declared) saw more young people being sent to a hostile land, allegedly to fight the evils of communism. The free citizens of the soldiers' own country -- the USA -- were cruel in their lack of support for the war and took their anger out on returning troops, many of whom had suffered irreparable physical injuries and mental conditions that haunted them for many years.
Far too many innocents returned in body bags. Only their families and true friends seemed to genuinely appreciate their sacrifices, and the ghosts are still there for many of them.
Trained and untrained soldiers, including National Guardsmen from around the country, endured the hardships of preparing for and fighting in the short-lived Gulf War in the early 1990s after Iraq invaded oil-rich Kuwait. They returned to the U.S. as heroes, but many were angry and dissatisfied, believing that the mission had not truly been accomplished. What had been won? Dictator Saddam Hussein was not harmed and his government continued to operate, with only some sanctions placed against them to slap their wrists. They likely have their nightmares, too.
About 10 years later, a new normal became part of a young millennium when the unbelievable happened: Jetliners hijacked by terrorists slammed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, another was purposely crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, while a third went down in a field in Pennsylvania, never reaching its unknown intended target.
Sept. 11, 2001, was to become the day that changed the U.S. and the world, and security could no longer be taken for granted.
Our troops were sent into battle in Afghanistan to retaliate against the mastermind of the attacks, Osama bin Laden, and his followers. Soldiers are still there and, despite a major victory of sorts, many of our troops are still being maimed or killed as the search for the elusive bin Laden continues four years later.
For reasons the general public has yet to truly know, 130,000 of our military men and women were later transported to Iraq, where the mission to liberate that country of Dictator Saddam Hussein's rule was declared accomplished only months after the battle against an apparently inept army appeared to be won. However, terrorists who were not in Iraq joined a growing insurgency that opposed Americans' presence, and members of our armed forces are still being killed or wounded on an almost daily basis. The war is not yet done, and no one knows when or if the mission will indeed be accomplished or how many of our brave young people will be lost before it is over.
A survey of troops returning from the Iraq war found that 50 percent had developed mental health problems three to four months after coming home, the Army's surgeon general said in a recent Associated Press report.
The problems include anxiety, depression, nightmares, anger and an inability to concentrate, according to Lt. Gen Kevin Kiley and other military medical officials. A smaller group, usually with more severe cases of those symptoms, is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Anyone who has not been in combat cannot comprehend the horrors these men and women have endured or, for that matter, the nitty-gritty experiences of those who have been in any war. Our minds don't share what lives in theirs.
It is not unpatriotic to oppose the war in Iraq, because Americans were misled as to why our troops had to go there.
It is unpatriotic not to support the men and women who are doing their assigned jobs with a constant risk of death, dismemberment or lifelong mental anguish. These are men and women of all races, colors and creeds who are heroes, giving of themselves so that the U.S. might enjoy what freedoms we have left.
It is unpatriotic to discriminate against the veterans of the Vietnam Conflict. They are human beings who were doing their jobs for the military as you do your job every day. They were and are heroes who have sacrificed parts of their lives -- including their physical and emotional well-being -- for you and me.
It is unpatriotic to overlook those who fought in Korea. They suffered for us while we enjoyed the much-proclaimed innocence and blissful freedoms of the post-World War II era.
It is unpatriotic to forget the rapidly dying breed of World War II veterans who gave their all, fighting in countries abroad to keep their loved ones back home safe from the ravages of conflict.
How long has it been since you said "thank you" to a veteran of any war?
In doing so, you could be doing your patriotic duty without any extreme effort on your part.
Thank the individual with sincerity, and perhaps you will impact a life by making that person a little happier, knowing that he or she is appreciated for their sacrifice about which we may think only briefly when Veterans Day, Memorial Day or the Fourth of July come around.
As in my Dad's case, you may be the only person from whom the man or woman who served for you has ever heard any words of thanks.
Don't restrict the thought to one or two days a year. Whenever the opportunity arises, let a veteran of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan or any other conflict know that the job they did then or are doing now has not been in vain.
To my heroes, Dad and everyone who has served in the military in any capacity, and especially those who have endured the battlefields of the world, I salute you and say: "Thanks for serving our country and doing your part to keep me -- us -- free."
(c) 2005, Toney Atkins
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