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By Alyssa, August 10, 2010 9:35 pm

I looked up from the stoplight and stared at his eyes first.  They drooped, red and swollen, just as his clothes hung limp from a broken body.  He leaned on one crutch with a sign, “Disabled Vet.  Anything helps.”  The kids giggled in their car seats behind me and I thought, I’ve got to do something.  Searching my car, I looked past library books, a crumpled granola bar wrapper, and pocket change.  No cash, no food.  What could I do?  The light changed and I hesitated until Bubba said, “Go, Mom.  You gotta go.”  Accelerating past this empty man, I shook my head wondering how a veteran came to the point of begging at a street corner.

A few weeks passed and I couldn’t stop thinking about him.  It hadn’t been that long since outprocessing the Army and I knew there were support programs out there.  So I started researching.  I found these websites in the Denver area:

Veterans Helping Veterans- provides information and assistance to veterans and their families

Progressive Veterans- a not-for-profit organization that supports veterans and informs the community of veteran’s issues through outreach activities

Veteran Green Jobs- a non-profit organization the trains and equips veterans to restore the environment, economy, and community

As I perused the websites, I couldn’t help but think the programs were great, but… every week I see veterans, homeless veterans, holding signs, begging.  How could I tell these men and women about the support available for them in the amount of time it takes a stop light to turn green?  I felt helpless until I found this site for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  The VA has a goal to end veteran homelessness in the next five years.  Part of that program includes a call center for veterans that provides free 24/7 access to trained counselors.  So I printed this out on my computer:

I printed out a page of these, cut them out, and put them in the glove box of my car.  It’s not a lot but I wanted something I could give them for support.  I don’t know how that man’s path led to being homeless, but I know that anyone that’s served our country deserves all the help they can get.  Have any other ideas to support homeless veterans?  Please post your comments.

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By Alyssa, July 3, 2010 11:15 pm

Take a break from the BBQ and fireworks to check out this site by veterans, for veterans!

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By Alyssa, July 2, 2010 4:04 pm

It’s that time of year again.  The celebration of our country’s freedom.  The 4th of July remains one of my favorite holidays and, yet, I have a confession to make.

I hate fireworks.

O.K.  Hate is kind of harsh.  I strongly dislike fireworks.  I’m not talking sparklers or the kiddy pack from Black Cat.  Nope, what I dislike are the “BOOM” or “Pop.Pop.Pop” fireworks that stop me in my tracks for a half-second as I survey my surroundings.  Many don’t realize that fireworks, a tool used to celebrate our freedom and those that fought for freedom, sound exactly like mortars and gunfire.

MORTARS AND GUNFIRE!  Oh the irony.  Let me first be clear to state that I’ve never faced direct gunfire or watched a mortar fall.  I spent my last deployment in Baghdad on a protected Forward Operating Base. Protected, but not sound proof.  There wasn’t a day I spent there that I didn’t hear gunfire or explosions. Some were close enough to shake my bed as I slept, while others were far enough to cause a slight pause before my next bite of chow.

A few months after returning from my last deployment, a new hospital only a half-mile from our house celebrated their grand opening with a surprise fireworks display.  I was in bed asleep, when BOOOMMM.  I sat up in bed.  BOOOOOM.  BOOOOM.  BOOOOM.  Tearing off the sheets I ran to our spare bedroom just as the crackle of the flares hit the sky.  As I reached the window and saw the massive display of color right above the house, my heart slowed back to its normal beat.  In that moment, I understood why veterans never flock to fireworks displays.  Fireworks stop my pulse for a brief second, but imagine the reaction of an infantry veteran when surprised by an unexpected explosion, a combat survivor when the rattle of a fireworks display takes him back to a fire fight.

Do I want all fireworks displays cancelled?  Fireworks banned in the United States?  No.  Continue to celebrate with bombs bursting in air on the 4th of July, however, please, please, only on the 4th of July. Respect veterans that fought for freedom by saving fireworks for the national holiday and only that day.  Oh and don’t worry about me on Sunday.  About the time the 1812 Overture plays, I’ll be snuggled on the couch watching it on television.  Happy Independence Day!