But, before we seek to honor, I want you to ask yourself……..What does that really look like? Does it mean to just attend a parade, wave a flag at a sporting event or to shake a veterans hand? To me, we can do so much more and must do more for our veterans. Currently we have a military where we have a high suicide rate and also a high suicide rate for veterans who are now out of the service. We have a homeless veteran population that numbers in the 100’s of thousands. When we honor our Veterans on this day, ask yourselves why is all of this happening and what can we do?
How do those that served honorably, now find themselves back home, suffering from PTSD with little to no help? How do those same individuals find themselves unable to find a decent paying job to support themselves and their families. Again, little to no help from the Veterans Administration and little to no assistance from our government.
For those that are still serving today in the military, some are being forced to do 4, 5 and sometimes more tour of duties in hostile situations with very little downtime in between tours. This has resulted in a very high PTSD diagnosis rate. Resulted in deep depression, many turning to drugs and alcohol to self medicate. Again, as we prepare to honor our vets on this day…….I ask……or should be asking, How and why is this happening?
On this day, I want you to do more than hold a small American flag at a parade. How can we Thank a Veteran? Simple…… acknowledge them. Shake their hand, hire them, help them, and when appropriate, help them help themselves as often times they will not seek help. Provide an ear to listen. Engage them in conversation. So many things we can do that will inspire, build up and strengthen our veterans when they have been torn down.
Dillon Transport continues to provide the best possible service to our customers. We firmly believe that the values, leadership traits and ethics formed while serving in the military, have been adopted here at Dillon Transport. This has allowed us to serve our customers with that same type of character and distinction. Again, I want reiterate that on this day, Veterans Day, “don’t pass up an opportunity to thank a Veteran.”