I love my local VA clinic. The VA has been very good to me and I am so grateful for their excellent staff.
I was leaving the clinic, and I saw a man in a wheelchair wearing a WW2 veteran cap. I stopped to shake his hand and thank him for his service.
( My son, who proudly refers to himself as a "Dirty, raging, leftist liberal" taught me that. Being a vet myself, it never occurred to me to thank someone either in uniform or displaying the fact should be thanked. Then I noticed my son doing so and now I do myself.)
Anyway, I asked him a bit about his service and he told me he had been a bombardier in Guam. He said it was unimaginable hell. I told him that there are not many WW2 vets left, and immediately felt horrible for mentioning it. His health was very frail. He looked at me with the saddest blue eyes and said, "I'm not long for this world".
I hugged him, and tried to reassure him all was well. A woman walked up and gave me a look like it was time for me to leave. I felt terrible for him.
And I thought about it, how many times we humans think we are not long for the world. Maybe not that phrase exactly, but what are we doing here and why is life such sad hell sometimes.
If you are ever bored or need something to do to pick yourself up out of the doldrums, visit a veterans hospital, clinic or waiting room. Bake some cookies, or bring some fresh fruit and a smile. Let the staff know you are there to volunteer. I guarantee you will end up meeting some great people and learning alot. The care providers ( can't say much good about the clerical help) but the medical staff are amazing. They earn far less than most in their range and truly care about veterans. You will appreciate the time spent, and walk away with a new appreciation for those who gave so much of their own lives and time to the service of their country.
No politician who did not serve a day in a REAL military capacity should have say over veterans rights. Republican or Democrat. So sick of extreme right wing fanatical evangelical christian politicians shitting all over veterans and voting to eliminate veterans services while claiming to be patriotic.
No public service sector employee who puts their life on the line for a service job such as a firefighter, police officer, paramedic or veteran should ever be discriminated against for being gay. Stop denying the same rights and privileges enjoyed by heterosexual couples. Nobody should ever serve the public in such a way, only to be denied marriage equality because somebody wants to apply bible scripture to real life. If you think a flaming gay man never fought and died in combat on foreign soil, or had to dodge bullets behind a police car door as they tried to subdue a bank robber, you are sadly mistaken.
Stop bitching about your rights, and volunteer your time aiding and caring for those who answer the call to help and serve their community and country. We all are "Not long for the world". Try to make your time here on earth count for something worthwhile.