Angelina Jolie took on humanitarian work with the UN while Brad Pitt took on rebuilding New Orleans. Mary Tyler Moore took on Juvenile Diabetes. Oprah Winfrey, well being Oprah, she's taken on more causes than anyone can remember. 80 of the most famous singers got together to help the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti with the remake of We Are the World. As for news stars, Anderson Cooper on CNN has taken uncommon interest in Haiti just as he had when the floods came into New Orleans. Cooper was also part of MTV's efforts to shine a light on our new generation of veterans. Each "star" doing what they can to change the world, be the face of the nameless and bring attention to people in need. Great work for greater reasons than themselves.
Yet when it comes to the veterans and our troops, very few show any interest. Gary Sinise did a video for suicide prevention. While it is a good video and no one can say he does not work hard for veterans, he does not draw much attention for doing it. Country music stars showing up doing USO shows are not covered on CNN or any other station. We have to dig for their videos online to know celebrities do care about them. What will it take for them to notice that we have a crisis right here in America, not in one city, but in every city and town?
Full Episode 'I Have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder' Veterans cope with the horrors of war
Arthur, Kenny and Adam struggle to adjust to civilian life despite having PTSD.
While this is wonderful, there is very little attention on our other veterans, also suffering, also needing attention. So who will be the face for our veterans showing up with as much attention as the celebrities do for other causes? Don't they matter enough?
We seem to do a really great job sending them away but do a really lousy job getting them back home all the way.
Chaplain Katie, your article is very powerful. I suffer with chronic PTSD and sometimes can be very dangerous. The VA turn guys away like turning sheep to the slaughter. All we have in each other. A civilian will not understand us, only another war veteran. "Who is the face for our Veterans?" The answer is US, we are helpers one to another. The VA doesn't care nor the DOD...Peace...
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Paul. Wouldn't it be a wonderful country if we simply paid attention to our veterans out of gratitude? Respect? Appreciation? We toss around the words "grateful nation" and "support the troops" but the reality is once a man or woman has gone to where we send them, we really don't pay attention at all.
ReplyDeleteWe don't pay attention to what is going on where we send them unless some come home in a flag draped coffin. We surely don't pay attention to their families after the funeral is over and they go back home knowing they will never see them smile again or hear the words "I love you" from their lips.
If they come home wounded the vast majority of the American public thinks they are taken care of and need nothing more from us. I live near Disney, so we go there often. We see the wounded with their families. Few will even look at them more than a second and even less will hold a conversation with them.
If they come home wounded with PTSD or TBI, well no one really cares because it is a wound no one can see on the surface. It is a wound they need to heal nonetheless, a piece of them that is gone needs to be replaced and the parts that cannot be healed need to be supported/strengthened. Their families need support to heal as well along with knowledge to help the veteran heal but no one gets what they need except for excuses.
It would be a wonderful world if a celebrity didn't have to step in and draw attention but too many examples of the ambivalence of conscience in this country has proven it takes famous to put a face on suffering.