You may have noticed by now that our offices have been collecting Thank You cards to send to our troops overseas. We have partnered with AMillionThanks.org by becoming a drop off location for these letters. This organization supports active, reserve and veteran military members serving at home or abroad by sending millions of letters of appreciation and encouragement to them. A Million Thanks also supports our injured veterans by granting wishes that help make their lives more enjoyable as well as providing some scholarship funds to families of fallen soldiers.
It seems these days we all know someone, whether it’s a family member, friend or friend’s family member who either is serving in the military or has served. I want to share a recent encounter I had with a veteran of Afghanistan. My husband and I met him at a hiker hostel in northern NH. This veteran was out hiking the Appalachian Trail, going from Maine down to Georgia, with his dog. He went by the trail name Goose (because his dog’s name was Maverick!). You know how sometimes you get a feeling about someone as soon as you see them? Both my husband and I had this happen when we first saw Goose arrive at the hostel: this feeling that he was an incredible guy who had been through something most of can’t imagine (we didn’t know each other had the same feeling until the next day). We ended up sitting around a campfire with him that night, just the 3 of us and his dog, and got to talking. Goose told us he had served in the Army and did a few tours in Afghanistan. When we asked where in Afghanistan he hesitated a moment, then answered, “The mouth of the Korengal Valley…not sure you know much about it.” We did know about it, at least to the amount we could..we knew it was the hot-spot in Afghanistan, where many of our servicemen died in action. I think all I could reply with was an astonished “Geez…” I could tell in the slight change of his voice that he been through some horrible stuff. Goose then proceeded to open up to us two perfect strangers a bit. He said that there had been a few documentaries made about his unit and what they went through. He told us how he lost too many brothers over there, and I could hear a slight shakiness in voice as he said it. He also told us how when he first came back States-side he thought he could transition fine, but in fact he realized he was pretty messed up. Goose told us he sought out help, but all he kept getting was prescriptions for anti-depressants and anxiety and sleep aids. He wanted more than that, he didn’t want to rely on meds. He liked being out on the trail hiking, he shared with us that it was out there he felt like he was healing, felt like he was finding himself again. He also felt like he was meeting other like-minded, good people which was helping restore his faith in others. He was hoping to run into a group hiking north called the Wounded Warriors, who were all veterans “hiking off the wars”. I felt humbled and honored that this young veteran shared a piece of who he is with us that night. It has stayed with me since. I suppose it stays with me because part of me wishes I could do more, more for him, more for all the veterans and soldiers who selflessly go places none of us would go. They may not agree with the reasons they are there, but they carry out their duties regardless, and for that I am in awe of them, I honor them and I respect them.
I also have a Vietnam Veteran (my Dad) and active military (my older brother) in my family. Thankfully none are stationed overseas and for that I know my family is lucky. I can’t ever imagine having someone I love be that far away in a potential hostile situation. I also can’t ever imagine being a soldier, stationed thousands of miles away from my family, and potentially facing danger every day. As a nation, we pull together a few times a year to honor our military, active and veterans, but then fall away from it on a regular basis.
Pause and look around, there are loads of veterans who could use help. Stop for a moment and think of how it must feel to be living in a foreign country, facing potential danger every day and unsure if you may make it home. I’m sure a few anonymous letters of gratitude, encouragement and thanks would go a long way.
Please join us in collecting these letters for our troops. It’s an easy task, really, with great rewards. You can write multiple letters that are creative, include positive messages, are kind and uplifting and you can even include your own name and address if you wish to. Then, just drop off the letters (no envelopes please!) at one of our offices and we will make sure to send them along to A Million Thanks. Some of you may not think the letters mean much to the soldiers, but here’s a response from one soldier “”You have definitely hit it on the head; support from home makes a big difference to us and is an enormous morale booster.” (taken from the amillionthanks.org website). As another anniversary of 9/11 comes up, won’t you take the time to write a note of thanks?
In Health,
Dr Jen
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