At Hero’s Bridge, the majority of our requests for assistance are to help Vietnam Veterans. That war had special circumstances that left more damage in its wake than previous conflicts. A lengthy war spanning several presidents and cabinets. Politicians making decisions instead of experienced military leaders. Personnel serving in-country with no defined front line and chaos from all directions. Trying to save a population of whom some did not want to be saved. A disastrous pull out under fire. As a young woman learning more about my father’s war I often wondered how a nation could have literally gotten every single thing wrong…for so many years.
Never has the phrase “history repeats itself” rang more true. Here we sit fifty years later watching the same series of events unfolding in Afghanistan. After a few years of relative quiet, a bomb in the sand reminded us all of the young people standing between evil and freedom. These events have awakened new anger and sadness in all our veterans and those that love them. So where do we go from here? What can each of us do when we feel so powerless to do anything but watch it all unfold?
First of all, we all have a chance to keep history from repeating itself by taking special care of the veterans in your life, at your work, in your church, and in your family. A simple, “How are you holding up?” can go a long way. Many Vietnam veterans never had this when they returned and we should make sure our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans feel our love and support. Also, if you are the praying kind, please pray for wisdom for our politicians and military leaders, even the ones you don’t like. Especially them. Pray for peace and freedom.
At Hero’s Bridge we will continue to care for our older veterans that need us. We will continue to give our younger veterans a way to continue their mission through volunteerism. We will continue to connect our community’s children, animals, and do-gooders to all our veterans…one hero at a time. Read the newsletter.