Are you still angry about what happened and what is happening to our troops in Iraq in Afghanistan? [View All]

[grantcart]

Next week we are going to hear the President's recommendations on Afghanistan and no matter what the President says there is going to be some frank discussions, some pent up anger, some tea cups may be jostled.

Are you still angry about what our troops have been through? The suicides, the PTSD? the huge number severed limps, severe head trauma?

Good. The folks that are still angry and in the midst of their thanksgiving will still be angry about what is happening to brave, courageous soldiers who have carried a huge burden for the rest of us are the conscience of this country.

But if your still angry I have a simple suggestion:





Become a volunteer at a Veterans Hospital.


Veterans hospitals use a large number of volunteers to help improve their service for vets. A lot of it is very simple stuff that everyone here can do like help with transportation to the hospital or helping folks get around in the hospital. You can simply help out at the information desk.



Volunteer Transportation Network

One of the most common ways to help a vet is to help them get to a clinic or hospital. You can do that.



Changes in the level of funding for the Beneficiary Travel program led the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accept alternative options for transportation of eligible veterans seeking VA services. VTN was established to provide needed transportation for veterans seeking services from a VA facility and/or authorized facility. VTN guidelines permit volunteer participation in providing transportation to veterans using a volunteer’s privately-owned conveyance or a government-owed vehicle, including donated vehicles, county vehicles, DAV Department (State) or Chapter (local) vehicles, public transportation and contracted transportation.



To learn more about what you can do go here

http://www.volunteer.va.gov/index.asp


To sign up and learn more about what you can do go here:

http://www.volunteer.va.gov/apps/VOLUNTEERNOW/




Now I am not an expert on all of the facilities but I do go to a few on a regular basis. One of the strange things about these facilities, at least some of them, are the infectious upbeat spirit that permeates a veterans hospital. They are stubbornly cheerful places. They are irrationally friendly. If you start greeting the first person you get on an elevator with a cheerful comment you will find yourself making cheerful comments the rest of the day. You will see some very sad stories there. You will see the cruel injustice that war hands out. You will also be impressed by the irrepressible spirit of the human race. Across generations of WWII, Korean, Vietnam and recent wars you will see a common spirit of courageous people who continue to battle the infirmities of life as they once did battle with armed foes; this time their weapon is irony and humor.

I am glad to know so many here that are so angry about the darker side of the human condition that causes so much unnecessary suffering.

If you can channel some of that anger into volunteering at a Veterans Hospital you will receive a strong dose of the brighter side of the human condition. You will find that you are the illogical beneficiary of the paradoxical karma that seems to rule our human experience, you will get much more out of it than you ever put in.

Oh and since January 20th they changed the big picture in the lobby from this:



to this:






Happy Thanksgiving to all.