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Honoring our military personnel and veterans

Willard Hollopeter
Wood Lake, Neb.

Lately there has seemed to be a surge of respect for the men and women in, and having been in, the United States Armed Forces.

There are U-Tube videos of people in an air terminal standing and applauding returning military personnel.

A big thing on television is service people coming home unexpectedly and surprising their families, usually showing up at school to receive joyful tearful hugs from their sons and daughters.



Whenever I talk on the phone to someone from the Veteran’s Clinic they now say, at the end of the conversation, “Thank you for serving.” Those folks know my military record, which didn’t involve risking my life, yet they thank me.

What a welcome change: History tells us of the shameful abuse that was heaped on veterans returning from Viet Nam … 9-11 had something to do with that change of opinion. American citizens have come to believe that the only buffer between complete annihilation or bondage by radical despots is the military man and woman.



Having served in the Army, allows me to take advantage of veteran’s services, like treatment at VA clinics and hospitals, and a substantial discount on what I pay for medicines.

But I can’t help but feel like a fraud for taking advantage of these services. As far as I know I didn’t do a blamed thing to save mankind. There is a good chance I would have if circumstances had called for it at the time, but I didn’t.

But it makes me feel good that those brave individuals, who put themselves in harm’s way to preserve our way of like, are now getting the credit and respect they so much deserve.

Soldiers are getting paid considerably more than I did, but not enough for willingly putting their lives on the line to uphold the American way of life. Considering how many lose their lives in the line of duty, and how many come home with life changing affects of wounds received in that duty.

The combat veteran certainly deserves all the respect we can give.


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