It was the year 1919.
The Treaty of Versailles was signed.. a cease fire ended hostilities..
World War I had just ended.. Those of us who remember those fun tales from from history class know that it was termed ‘the war to end all wars.’
Instead power brokers created an entirely new version of the Middle East, one that seemingly has doomed the world to eternal conquest and quagmire..
But back during those happy times of the war’s ending, right after Sgt Henry Gunther had just either committed an act of valor or suicide, the powers in conflict declared Armistice. The war had ended.. and with this newfound peacetime came a widespread global thanksgiving to the troops that weathered the war..
A minute of silence to honor veterans who fought is often used across the planet on November 11 at 11am.. after that minute comes another, one to honor the wives and children of the men who sacrificed time and toil to fight the war that didn’t end a thing..
This day is not just Veterans Day in the United States. It is also a celebration of those who honor troops from Britain to France.. solemn ceremonies take place. In the United States, a Chief Executive or Vice President lays a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier..
After World War I turned into more wars, the United States renamed November 11 Veterans’ Day to include all of those who fought in wars. World War II, Korea, Vietnam.. and more recently the American misadventures in no mans’ Afghanistan and Iraq.. It is one of the most solemn and serious of occasions.. Federal buildings .. for some, things are a standstill in observation..
Kind-hearted acts of charity are plentiful on Veterans Day. Restaurants and businesses give away little freebies.. Half price for some.. and free meals for others. That’s a good deal.
Beyond those corporate acts of goodness, though, what else is the story behind the charitable acts?
A staggering level of hypocrisy in the NFL for one, according to this from NBC NEWS:
The images of war and football are everywhere; the coaches wearing the camouflage hoodies and caps — with camouflage-decaled headsets — a team logo affixed to the fashionable war-wear; the drab military greens and grays outlining the end zones; the uniformed servicemen and women strategically planted for the cameras at every game by the league and its television partners. As America approaches two decades of continuous war (the Brown University Costs of War Project reported that the United States maintains a military presence in 76 countries, some 39 percent of the world’s nations), its billion-dollar sports machine stands eagerly in lockstep with the Pentagon, having decided it is good business to normalize a military presence in sports under the guise of “supporting the troops.” Concurrent to the NFL’s Salute to Service, the NBA has its own Veterans Day propaganda campaign called Hoops for Troops.
The NFL is careful, far more careful than it has been in the past, to avoid the impression that it is financially exploiting the military. On game day, when scores roll across the bottom of the TV screen like a stock ticker, the NFL runs the following disclaimer: “The NFL does not profit from the sale of Salute to Service products.”
The most recent numbers may not be good.. The Department of Veterans Affairs released information in September 2019 on the state of mental health:
More veterans died by suicide in 2017 than the previous year, the report shows. There were 6,139 veteran suicide deaths in 2017, an increase of 129 from 2016.
However, the new report lists the daily average of veteran suicides at 17, down from the 20 per day reported in previous years.
Why the drop?
The VA explained that it removed service members, as well as former National Guard and Reserve members who were never federally activated, from its count…
The report shows that suicide among veterans continues to be higher than the rest of the population. The suicide rate among male veterans was 1.3 times the rate for other adult men in 2017. For women, the contrast is even more stark.
The rate among female veterans was 2.2 times the rate for other adult women that year.
Veterans continue to use guns more than any other means of suicide. Firearms were used in nearly 70 percent of veteran suicides in 2017. For the rest of the U.S. population, firearms were used in 48 percent of suicides.
The highest suicide rate was among younger veterans, ages 18 to 34. In 2017, there were 44.5 suicides for every 100,000 veterans in that age group.
While younger veterans account for the highest rate of suicide, older veterans had the greatest total number of suicides in 2017. Veterans ages 55 to 74 accounted for 38 percent of all veteran suicide deaths that year.
Veterans make up approximately 9 percent of all homeless adults.. Most homeless veterans were without children; only 2 percent were homeless as part of a family. 90.8 percent were men, while 8.5 percent were women.
But free meals are abundant.. Beneath the exterior of gratitude, we have a lot of work to do.. we have a nation of depression and addiction.. we have a nation of veterans that feel forgotten.. and wars that never seem to end.
