Dear Fellow Veterans:  Thank you for your service.  Sincerely, Jack

Here we are again, another Veterans Day!  I like to watch the ceremony on C-SPAN every Veterans Day no matter who the speaker is, because it is the ceremony not the speaker.

In the past I have written about what it means to be a Veteran, but this year I thought I would look at Veterans Day from a different angle.

It’s kind of funny to watch politicians participate in events on Veterans Day.  Of course, they must do something this day, like attend an event, send a letter, email, Tweet, or post something on Facebook.  Some may even hold a meeting.  They cannot be seen as someone who does not care for Veterans.

The political parties are out in force today sending comments to their e-mail lists about Veterans Day.  Some even use Veterans Day for political posturing.  Sickening.

I don’t normally attend any Veterans Day (or Memorial Day) events where politicians are speaking unless they have actually served in the military.  They can’t really speak to me or the thousands of others who served because they have not been there or done that.  Of course, I am not saying they don’t care for Veterans.  I am sure a few do care about Veterans more than needing our votes.

Speaking of politicians and Veterans, I always look first at what an elected official has done for Veterans.  Of course, the number one thing I look at is if they are a Veteran.  The second thing that I look at is what they did before they became an elected official.  Did they protest wars, call military personnel baby killers, burn their draft cards, etc.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, only 101 members have served in some capacity in the military (according to this LINK).  The Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs did not serve.  The ranking member did.

In the Senate, only 28 members are Veterans (according to CRS Report # RS22555).  The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is a Veteran; the ranking member is not.

I’ve mentioned it before, but I believe every member of the Veterans Committees in the House and Senate should actually be a Veteran.

In closing, this Veterans Day it’s important that Veterans stand together and fight for our rights and benefits.  We must elect people who genuinely care about our issues all the time and not just during the times when they are running for office.  We must ensure Veterans are given a fair shake when they apply for Federal jobs, and that they have a place to sleep each night.  Over the last 10 years, I think things have gotten better for Veterans.  I’ll be watching and hoping it continues.  My votes in the upcoming elections will depend on the course our elected leaders take with the major issues facing Veterans and their families.