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{"id":3511,"date":"2023-03-06T12:49:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-06T20:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/?p=3511"},"modified":"2023-03-06T12:49:01","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T20:49:01","slug":"great-stories-need-to-be-told","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/great-stories-need-to-be-told\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Stories Need To Be Told"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Veterans: Great Stories Need to be Told<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin J. Van Meter, U.S. Army<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another Veterans Day is upon us to appreciate our veterans that served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces. It is a tradition that began with the end of major hostilities during World War I declared on the 11th<\/sup> hour of the 11th<\/sup> day of the 11th<\/sup> month of 1918. Over the past 18 years that I have served in the U.S. Army, it has always been interesting to hear stories from veterans from past generations. Stories about the people they served with, aspects of service they miss, and common grievances shared among all generations of veterans such as the quality of field rations. The military offers clear structure, a sense of common purpose, and opportunities to forge unbreakable bonds with fellow service members during difficult missions. These are the aspects that veterans miss when they leave the service and they find it difficult to connect within the communities they find themselves in. The stories veterans carry with them are unique and only those who served seem to truly understand. Some of those stories are dark and difficult. So, oftentimes veterans choose to bottle up these stories and feelings not easily forgotten while focusing on other aspects of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It took a long time for my father to open up to me about his combat experiences in Vietnam. If I asked him about it, he would refuse and become visibly upset. However, after my first deployment to Iraq in 2005, he suddenly seemed far more willing to open up to me – but I was also capable of understanding his experiences in ways that I could not before. Some of his stories were funny, some fascinating, and some horrifying. No matter the stories he told, I was very thankful to connect with my father in this way. Years later, his experiences and stories would end up serving a greater purpose that neither he nor I would have imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the summer of 2019, I was nearing the end of my assignment to Italy and had recently returned from another combat deployment to Iraq. It was a busy time preparing to leave, but I invited my then 73 year old father to come visit me since he had always dreamed of seeing the \u201cOld World\u201d of Europe and it was probably now or never given his age. Despite all the preparations and goings-on, I had an epiphany about the nearby U.S. Navy hospital. Since my father served as a U.S. Navy Corpsman (field medic) with the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, I recognized this as a fitting opportunity for him to share some of his experiences with the many young Corpsman that staff the hospital since many of them could go on from Italy to an assignment with the Marines. I spoke with the hospital leadership and made arrangements for this speaking engagement the next day (Friday) and only three days before my official departure from Italy. I was definitely cutting things close, but this was an important opportunity to take advantage of \u2013 so I thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n