Valuing veterans and their sacrifices

Veterans Day was last week, although it wasn’t widely celebrated or recognized by anyone other than those who served in the military or have family members that have served.

It is quite unfortunate that veterans don’t always get the recognition they deserve, considering how much they have sacrificed for us all.

Statistics show that the number of military veterans in the United States in 2008 was 23.2 million. Veterans are a relevant population demographic not only nationally, but CUNY-wide as well.

The good news is that our school has an active veteran’s club that caters to this growing population within Baruch. As a result, CUNY has taken a shot at providing veteran incentives by letting veterans attend any CUNY school free of charge as remuneration for all of their service and sacrifice.

When soldiers return after 12 to 15 months of duty, many of them do not have the time to transition back to civilian life, let alone college life. In other words, a veteran is not the average college student. If the rest of us became aware of it, we might see the lesson to be learned here.

There is a reason why we celebrate our veterans. If we appreciated the lives of those who put so much of themselves into their work and risk so much for the greater good more often, perhaps we would be more optimistic, hopeful and grateful in our own lives.

Last week’s Veterans Day served to bring a relevant idea into perspective. Many of us complain about our daily lives when we have to endure things we don’t like.

We even complain about things that are teaching us valuable lifelong lessons. If we appreciated the sacrifices our soldiers have made, maybe we wouldn’t be so bitter about our daily challenges and growing pains.

If one finds adjusting to certain people and situations difficult, one can only imagine how these heroes feel after serving in the military and then having to adapt to student and civilian life.

Just acknowledging Veteran’s Day is the least we can do for those who have done so much for us. Our veterans deserve our most profound appreciation, respect and admiration due to their selfless service. Next time you meet a veteran in class, or elsewhere on campus, take time to appreciate their service.

Being surrounded by people with so much to teach us can be a valuable asset to our campus life.

1 comments

Ayesha Mannan

Mon Nov 16 2009 17:00

Hey Nabila,

You gave excellent recognition to the Veterans who fight the rights we take for granted. Thank you for your informative article.

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