By Gil Barndollar
This Veterans Day, Americans will roll out the thanks: parades, tributes and enough free chain restaurant food to satiate the most gluttonous Marine for a week. Some U.S. veterans, particularly those who have served overseas in combat, are increasingly skeptical of this cheap grace. Despite the often-genuine outpouring of affection, thanks and “support” for veterans, many Americans know little and seemingly care even less about the wars their veterans have fought over the past two decades.
A reminder: Veterans Day is for the living, not the dead. We have Memorial Day, half a year away, to mourn those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their comrades and their country.
America now has nearly 3.5 million post-9/11 veterans, a little over 1% of the total U.S. population. The oldest are now grandparents while the youngest are barely of legal drinking age. More diverse and better educated than previous generations of American veterans, the post-9/11 veterans are also far more likely to have some degree of disability from their service. Roughly two-thirds served in Iraq, Afghanistan or both.
This piece was originally published by the Los Angeles Times on November 11, 2019. Read more HERE.