My View From the Cheap Seats - Veteran's Day Edition

I know and love a lot of veterans. (Some of them pictured here.) I can only share my own observations because I’m not a veteran myself. I’m not one of the brave ones. I kept my butt squarely in one of the cheap seats - a seat that cost me nothing. But from the safety and comfort of my vantage point, here are a few things I find compelling.

To be a veteran seems to be part of a brotherhood that transcends branch, age, race, religion, rank or sex; all united under one FLAG and one word: SERVICE. 

Within the brotherhood, I have witnessed the friendly rivalry between branches and MOS (specialties). It’s sort of like siblings bullying each other. People within the brotherhood can tease each other - but if anyone on the outside of the brotherhood threatens or maligns a member, they all rise to the defense of the other. 

There’s an humble respect for the elder generation and the wounded among veterans. A silent nod to the man in the wheelchair or the one wearing a Vietnam Veteran hat. And veterans listen to and support each other because they know all too well that most wounds aren’t visible. They will literally talk each other off of ledges when the rest of us are oblivious.

No one understands like a fellow veteran. 

One of the most interesting observations is the matter of authenticity. Legitimacy is imperative. Nothing makes my husband more angry than an imposter. I’ve seen him prepare to physically fight people who lie and pretend to be a veteran when it’s obvious that they are not. He will ask questions that any service member would know the answer to and if they can’t answer… well… like Mr. T used to say, “I pity the fool!”

What a beautiful example for the rest of us. If only Christians could be so committed to the cause of Christ that we were untied without judgement, defending each other, respecting and caring for each other the way veterans do, while being vigilant to the wolves in sheep’s clothing, detecting false prophets and chasing them away with their tail between their legs.

Romans 12:10 instructs us to “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” And 1 John 3:16 says that “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

I can think of no more fitting analogy of brotherly love than the life of a veteran. 

Thank you to the brave among us who signed on the line - in times of peace or in the face of impending war - because this world is a little unhinged and things change in a heartbeat. Signing on the line would force you to acknowledge this reality. May we conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of your service.

Be blessed.