Who really is a Veteran?

I believe a veteran is …..

One who opposes war as a solution but values might when required to affect a solution.
One who values their life in relation to a cause important to their nation?
One who stands proudly to salute their flag as an icon of their nation and values they hold dear.
One whose humility stands out more often than others around them do.
These are the attributes of the Veteran…..

I say to a veteran, “Thank you and your family for your service & sacrifice, we owe you a debt to hear this from at least one person every day.” The reply so often received is - “No thanks necessary, it was my honor to serve.” It is their reply that reveals the spirit of the Veteran, an unofficial title of Honor and respect due to those who served for the true hero they are.

There are those in our society who chose to undermine and demean what a Veteran is, using the term to distinguish time in a job or as some title in a computer game for “experience earned.”
There are those in government whose political views oppose war and they therefore oppose all Veterans for the sake of politics, the Veteran a pawn in their game of thrones.
There are those in society who opposed a particular war at one time and continue to oppose its Veterans. These individuals interpose the noble reason of a government-imposed draft to justify supporting their nation's enemies and creating chaos within their own country as protected acts done under the guise of a statement of Freedom of Speech and Expression. Some people who, in the least of their actions, spit on our returning Veterans, in uniform, even while injured in a wheelchair.
There are those who hate & detest Veterans and may, in the course of their business or job, be it banking, insurance, a restaurant, etc., do heinous deeds on behalf of their hatred. Several misgivings include denying a loan, denying a policy or denying needed care

Yet in spite of all this, we encounter a true oxymoron “Veteran's Administration” to which the attribute “dysfunction” is, and has been, a most graceful understatement lasting for more than 60 years. The Veteran, who has faced death as a tool to be used or at the loss of a fellow Soldier more often than those who hate them, continues humbly to move through their life. Be it in a cardboard box, providing for their family now and in the future, or to assure a warm and healthy meal every day, the Veteran continues to “take that hill” and overtake all opposition as a matter of course, conviction, self-worth, and, most importantly, Honor.

Therein lies the source of the Veteran's heroism and humility, their Honor, an Honor to serve. Please, if you see or run into a Veteran, express a simple thank you for their service and sacrifice, show them you Honor their Honor that you appreciate the slice of their life they put forward on America's behalf, standing for your nation, irrespective of the outcome or the government's reason for war. These people served by choice but it is a contractual obligation that they cannot walk away from, or, they were drafted, the government assuming their life a “resource,” repugnant to the Veteran's very reason for fighting, “...endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,...” Veterans deserve our heartfelt appreciation just because they are Veterans, the remaining American blood and Treasure of a group of Americans who continue to serve America with their Honor.