BlogCatalog

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.

~  Lt. Col John McCrae,  In Flanders Fields

Whether you know it as Veterans Day, Armistice Day, or Remembrance Day, November 11 is a day set aside to honor the fallen.

It is a day we honor all service men and women who wear the uniform of their country, overcoming fear to do what is necessary in a dangerous world.

The path of a soldier is one in which emotion is tempered by duty and discipline, and peril is balanced by the tedium of constant readiness. There are a thousand partners in the journey down the soldier’s path – family and friends, strangers and compatriots. We glimpse the experience of these many through the blogs they keep – through their poetry and personal stories, as they support loved ones and each other.

BlogCatalog lists the blogs of many service members, veterans organizations and military families. Blogging, although relatively new, has become an indispensible way for soldiers and veterans to connect with family and express the sometimes raw emotions that are a part of military life.  It is also a way to discuss everyday routines and to take comfort in a community that understands the challenges of military life.

Occasionally, blog-authors use their writing to share experiences that are deeply personal.  Such is the case with BlogCatalog member, Susan Blake.  Recently, Susan took the brave step of writing about her son’s deployment to Iraq. As she describes on her blog, Erasing the Bored, it was a difficult topic, but one she hopes will enlighten others’ perception of soldiers and their families.  Susan writes eloquently about saying goodbye to her only son on the day he shipped out, reflecting on the very moment of goodbye,

He stripped himself of himself in so many ways - and became what? A soldier? I knew in my heart I was losing a huge part of my son that day. He would not come back. This was the official ending of his childhood. I could no longer protect him. He would have experiences there that would change him forever.

Susan’s writing spoke to my heart and brought tears to my eyes. In that moment of transformation, her boy became a soldier and she became a military mother.

Military families bear a difficult burden. They stay and wait and wonder; the homefront is their battlefield.  And yet, the blogs of military families are rich -- full of highs and lows, ordinary days and extraordinary trials.  Many create networks of support, sharing information on policy changes and programs. Krystel at ArmyWife101 has certainly done that, promoting VetsPrevail, answering questions about on-post life,  and sharing ways to reach out to loved ones during the holidays.

Leanne Koscsis at Military Avenue has created a great resource for Military families. Military Avenue hosts a question & answer forum for members to connect with one another and provides policy information and links to businesses who support the troops. Most recently, Military Avenue has compiled a list of 101 ways ordinary people can thank veterans every day of the year.

At times, blogs are the places to share lessons learned from the past. Lynne Cole's writing contrasts the treatment of returning Vietnam veterans with those coming home from Operation Desert Storm. The difference was made, in large part, because of the amazing troop greeters (of whom Lynne was one) who gave their time and energy to throw their arms open in welcome, embracing tearful soldiers grateful to be taking their first steps back on home soil.

And when the lessons of the past and the needs of the present converge, there are groups of bloggers who will stand together, dedicated to raising awareness of the ongoing needs of soldiers and veterans. BloggersUnite -- Veterans Day: Who Will Stand is a just such a group.

Veterans Day: Who Will Stand bloggers are writing today to help raise awareness and funds for nonprofit organizations that support U.S. Veterans returning from service with physical and/or psychological scars. According to Military Medicine magazine, 46.5 percent of solders with post-traumatic stress [PTS] have suicidal thoughts and 33.5 percent of PTS sufferers have tried to commit suicide – clear evidence that battlefield trauma can follow a soldier home. Veterans make up a significant portion of homeless men in the United States as well. In many ways, our Veterans are in crisis; now is the time to come together to help.

You can help veterans by informing yourself and by spreading the word to raise awareness of their needs. You can contact your Representatives and Senators and local leaders in government to express your support of Veterans. Be vocal.  Support your local chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, or your local VA hospital with your time, talent, and funds. Or learn about and support these organizations that help Soldiers and Veterans every day:

• The Soldiers Project helps provide free counseling and support to military service members who have already or who expect to serve in the Iraq and/or Afghanistan conflicts and to veterans of those conflicts. The services are completely confidential and are not reported to any  government agencies.

• Blue Star Mothers provides support for active duty service personnel, assists veterans organizations, and is available to assist in homeland volunteer efforts. The organization consists of mothers who have had children honorably serving in the military.

• Wounded Warrior Project raises awareness and enlists the aid of the public in meeting the needs of severely injured service men and women by providing direct services that honor and empower wounded warriors. They also advocate for legislation to provide critically-needed services to family caregivers of severely wounded warriors.

These organizations and others are featured in the film Who Will Stand, an independent documentary that covers the plight of physically and/or psychologically wounded soldiers after they have returned from war. To learn more, you can watch excerpts from the film, shared by producer/director Phil Valentine on YouTube.  Who Will Stand will also be featured at a special Veterans Day screening in Las Vegas on November 11, 2009.

I will close with a quotation from Iraq veteran and BlogCatalog poetry-blogger, Tony L. Jefferson, Jr., from his blog, Poetic MindState. Tony’s poems are powerful expressions of his life as a soldier and as a man. In his poem Silent Tears, he writes,

…
I carry this pain, this hurt, this distrust
Like a soldier carries his bags in Iraq
How can I love while crying these silent tears?
How can one person live with so much pain?
All I could do was cry
Cry for you
Cry for me
Cry for the world
…

Today, we at BlogCatalog invite you to read about and support the men and women of our armed forces and their families. Please do so with an open mind and heart. And then take action to support soldiers, veterans, and their families in your own community not just today, but throughout the year.