Memorial Weekend

"Memorial Day" is such a touchy subject for me. 

I am close to some veterans of the U.S. Military, and my maternal Grandfather served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army; he was a veteran of the Korean War. I never met my Grandfather, for he passed away from complications due to diabetes in 1963. All I have left of him are very few photos taken of him, including that in his uniform, and some stories my late Grandmother told me. Stories I should never forget.

Last week, while walking towards the back gate of my neighborhood, I thought I saw a figure on the ground; it was pitch-black dark, nearly midnight, and I couldn't tell if I was seeing a dead man or not. He didn't make a sound. Turns out he was sleeping in the cold and didn't know where to go. It turns out he was a veteran of the Vietnam War. A gracious young man ended up giving this veteran a pillow, a thick blanket, and some good food that this man could eat. However... this picture shouldn't have to be the case. This shouldn't be common- yet there are too many veterans on the streets. Being someone who also worked in a bank branch, I often assisted veterans who couldn't find a place to sleep- some even lost their homes in the duration that I knew them. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, "Tonight, approximately 67,000 veterans will sleep in alleys, abandoned buildings and under bridges because they have no home. They are this nation’s forgotten heroes – the men and women who once proudly served in a military uniform. Yet this year alone, over 200,000 of them will experience the ravages of homelessness."

Sure, maybe it isn't Veterans Day, and there is that fine distinction between that day and Memorial Day. But in other words, all veterans, living or not living, should be considered and thought about every single day instead of semi-commercialized holidays that commemorates them.