ON BEING A VETERAN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Being a Veteran

 

Being a Veteran is being in service

 

First of all to our country and next to our

 

fellow Veterans.

 

Every Veteran has a story and it's always

 

a story of sacrifice ~ for all of us have

 

sacrificed two, four or in my case seven years in

 

order to protect the fleet, our mission or our homeland and


those years are forever gone.

 

But those years are also filled with memories

 

Memories of camaraderie,

 

Memories of close friendships,

 

Memories of shared bonding in battle, in carrier operations or

 

under attack.

 

Many of us have been to the dark side and never returned to

 

the light.

 

Many of us cannot forget the horror of war and the memories


still haunt us.

 

Each of us, as Veterans, are proud we served our country and


we welcome the respect and care we receive at our VA clinics


and know, at the deepest level, that we are all brothers and


sisters ~ joined by a common bond of


sacrifice and service.

 

It’s an intangible bond but it's there and I feel it strongly when

 

I meet another Veteran ~ particularly a disabled one.

 

It's a sense of knowing and acknowledgement that goes beyond

 

words but resonates in the soul ~

 

We Served.

 

 

Allen L Roland, Ph.D
http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2014/11/on-being-veteran.html
 
US Naval Aviator 1957-1964

Veterans of Oakley, California