To Our Veterans

To my dear fellow Vets on Veteran’s Day,

                Above all else that will be said today, let me add my name to the long, long list of grateful Americans thanking you for your service to our nation and the many sacrifices that you’ve personally made in keeping America free and doing good in the world.  The United States is the greatest nation the world has ever known.   America has always been and continues to be a force for good everywhere in the world, not just here at home.   Your sacrifices, your service and your good work have helped spread that vision of liberty and justice to every corner of the globe.  It has truly been my privilege to fight and serve alongside such great Americans, great patriots and great human beings.  Thank you for your service.

                The gratitude of Americans who have never served in the military has never been as apparent and as ubiquitous as it is right now.  You are all more than deserving of all the esteem and all the gratitude that America has bestowed upon you.  As many of you are already experiencing though, the transition back to being a civilian isn’t always easy.  I’ve been working on it for a little more than 10 years now, and I by no means have it wired, but I’ve certainly learned a few things along the way, so I’d like to share a couple things that I think all us veterans need to keep in mind.

                There are so many good intentioned Americans out there that are trying to help our vets.  That is truly a great thing, and we should be ever appreciative of their efforts.   But that kind of charity comes with dangers of its own.  Don’t be fooled by unscrupulous people who would take advantage of you, or the benefits you have rightly earned.  Sadly, there are plenty of people who will rob you blind by taking your benefits without offering any substantive help in return.  GI bill benefits are just one example.  There are many “schools” out there that would be happy to take the money, but aren’t really educating our vets.  Do your homework and make sure that the skills these folks are purporting to teach are really there and are really marketable once you finish the program. 

                Don’t be afraid to say no to charitable offers either.  Too much charity can rob you of your self-esteem and your sense of purpose in the world.  You’ve already proven you can overcome incredible obstacles.  Don’t be afraid to re-engage those skills and say “thanks, but no thanks” to offers by good intentioned people who are trying to do good in the world.  Certainly some among us very much need the help, but not all of us.  Even if some of us have been knocked down a little, we can still offer something to this world that it needs, and we’ll feel better about ourselves if we can earn our own keep.  That’s been the American way since the founding of our great nation and there’s no reason it needs to change now.  Don’t let yourself be drawn down into a mentality of entitlement.  It’s not good for your soul.

               Don’t expect the rest of America to understand what you’ve been through.  Even all of us don’t know what the rest of us have seen and had to deal with.  As much as the finance technician who never deployed can’t understand what I saw and did as a fighter pilot, I in turn can never really appreciate what the Soldiers manning the Observation Posts I was flying over saw and did.  Even more so, the civilians who did not serve in the military can never understand what you’ve been through and what you’ve done.  That’s why we need to stick together.  It’s so easy to lose track of your friends and brothers and sisters in arms as we all get down to the business of building America at home, but it’s important that we keep in touch with each other.  A little bit of effort to stay in touch can help us maintain relationships with other people who “get it.”  That’s also why we need to understand that lots of people in America don’t understand.  Be kind and benevolent with them.  People will say things once in a while that will seem obtuse and down-right wrong to you.  Remember though, the liberty to speak your mind, right or wrong, without fear of being killed or thrown in jail is one of the fundamental human rights that you’ve fought hard to protect and something that makes our nation great.

               Finally, remember that your work is not nearly done.  So many of you are young people, and you’ve done great work for this nation.  Honestly you’ve done more than she can ever repay you for, but now’s not the time to rest on your laurels.  America still needs you to be actively engaged in making this country great.  You bring experience and skills to the table that can’t be taught or learned anywhere except in the military.  The nation needs you to learn, to create, to mentor and to shape what this nation will be going forward.  The Greatest Generation was great not just because they won WWII, but because they created a new America that was better than what they left.  We can be a great generation, too.  So work hard.  Innovate.   Create jobs.  Take seriously your responsibility to participate in government.  Raise your children to be as selfless, as patriotic and as professional as you are so that we can keep being the world’s greatest nation into the 21st century.  You may not be carrying a rifle any more, but you are certainly keeping this nation and the world free and just by your good work in building a great America, and by the example you have, and are continuing to set for the next generation. 

Thank you for your service, and for the honor of serving with you.

Marty Moser

Moser Aviation, LLC and the Colorado Air National Guard