As I wheeled myself out of the Ambulitary Care Unit and toward the pick up point in front of the James Haley Veterans Hospital, I started to come to a realization that I did not like.
My surgery was very basic, a soft tissue removal from my left foot. I will be back on my feet in a week or so, however, many at the VA are not so lucky. They are bound to their wheelchairs for the rest of their lives.
Rolling through the halls, I noticed the civillians looking away, acting as if I did not exist. I don't know if it was guilt or something else but people were very uncomfortable with my presence. I had two bum shoulders and a seriously bandaged foot, and no offers for help. I had to use short strokes in turning the wheels of my chair and it really hurt.
The designated pick up point was overrun with first timers who had no idea what to do so I decided to go down hill to the SCI (spinal cord injury unit) where my wife could pick me up without waiting for the crowd. It was there where I found God. Not that I did not know him already but it is at the SCI where he lingers with those who had given the most to protect our freedom. You see, many of our veterans have lost the use of their legs, arms and even their ability to speak. In my mind, a lifetime of painful memories and no way to share them or replace them with better ones, is far worse than giving ones life.
Now that I've gained a "Criple's eye view" into the souls of the speechless vets, I understand that, if not for God, they would have no one to talk to at all. Only faith keeps these fellows going. When you are at eye level with these guys, you cannot look away. You are forced to read their eyes and hear the longing for a simple conversation from the heart of a broken soldier.
I saw the local news guy talking about how the supreme court, along with the Constitution, has given every American the right to posess a firearm. He was so wrong! It is God that gives us our rights, all of them. It is our military who puts everything on the line to protect those God given rights. Then, it is our Constitution which prevents our government from taking our God given rights away from us.
Read your Constitution and look for anywhere where it gives us any rights. Our founders were careful to state that our rights were "inalienable" and each amendment points out what rights cannot be taken from us.
The point is.. You have your rights because God gave them to you. You keep those rights because American soldiers sacrifice their own on your behalf. So if you pass by a Soldier or a Vet, and you choose to ignore him rather than look him in the eye, what does that make you? Please, for God's sake, thank them! I don't care if you simply look them in the eye and smile or you reach out and hug them, just show them that they have not given everything for nothing.
Friday, July 9, 2010
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2 comments:
That, sir, was a revelation.
You NEED to come back.
And you NEED to come back with a vengeance. People need to read what you write.
I would ask you not to subsume but to come back stronger and more strident and more centered and focused. You need to post daily. You need to make people see what you've seen on any number of levels.
You have an outlet here. I can only ask that you use it in a myriad of ways.
BZ
I truly agree with BZ. I am slowly losing faith in my country, its citizens, the presidency, my family, and even my wife. The world I have known is crumbling and nobody seems to care. I live with a woman who has said " I don't respect people who don't become officers in the military. Why would anyone want to be a low life private? " It made my blood boil. She is the typical moronic person who goes through life taking everything for granted. She doent attend the veterans dinners that I go to, so I can help others who are not coping with things. People always say they "support" our troops. What the hell have they done? Just saying those words means nothing. People need to ACT! My wife is one of those people who says, but never does. She says she has respect for those in uniform, but yet treats them like second class citizens because they don't have a degree. This world needs help Flounder, and people NEED to know where they get their freedoms. From GOD. The only thing a soldier does, is try to protect them and make sure they last forever. And yet there are people in this world who are blind to sacrifice. It is sad, and they need to be ashamed for not doing anything to protect this country. This topic needs to be out there and in everybody's lips. GOD IS FREEDOM.
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