A Thought About Veterans

            Every year on Veterans Day we spend a few minutes remembering those who gave of themselves to protect our way of life.  Even those of us who did spend time in the military want to remember the ones that didn’t come home and those who did more than we did to protect our lives.  It is important to give thanks to them all year long.

            It is important to not only give a thought to those who died but those who suffered physical and mental injuries.  The fact that we know how hard it is for the wounded to recover even under the best conditions and that when they are not able to get the help that they need they are much more likely to suffer.  It is also well known how many veterans are living in conditions that are not conducive to a healthy life.  The number of veterans who live on the street is so high that it seems impossible.  The fact that any of those who served our country could find themselves without a place to live is a crime.  Yes some feel that they can only live this life but it should be possible to create a situation where they can live a better life.

            At this point I do want to indicate I know of places and groups who are trying to help give these people a better life.  A place where they can have a healthy environment and still the freedom that they want.  It is also important to put this message out in the open where it will be seen by people who need to be reminded of the situation.  The picture of a veteran is not always pretty and it is not something that we want to see.  It is important that we see them anyway.  

            I started writing this to thank the people at AMTRAK for the design on the skin they put on locomotive #42.  It was at the National Train Day and 75^th Anniversary celebration at Los Angeles Union station on May 3, 2014.  This locomotive is one that is in regular service on the lines in the east and brought out west for this special occasion.  That they have kept the markings after the reason they did the work is the important part of the thank you.  They did not only do it for one time but found the message important enough to keep going.  So thank you AMTRAK and the people who have done this work.  Oh yes they do have a program to hire veterans.  If they had that program when l got out of the service maybe I would have had one of my dream jobs.