Dear Fellow Veterans,

You are not broken. I don’t care where, when, or how you served. I don’t care if you were a member of the infantry or an administration clerk. I don’t care which service you belong to and I certainly don’t care if you’re a man or a woman. You are not broken.

I have watched veterans being misrepresented for years now. I have observed men and women in uniform, whether still active duty or not, being paraded about on social media, blogs, and even in person for the purposes of benefiting one cause or another. I watch as politicians who’ve never served a day in uniform in their lives claim that they understand what it means to be in combat or that they have the maturity and knowledge to be the Commander-In-Chief of all of our armed forces. Would you like to know how to spot a real combat vet? They don’t go running their mouth about their experiences and certainly not to people they don’t know and deeply trust. If someone is bragging about their time in service and all of their shiny medals, and I can tell you with a high degree of certainty, that person is either embellishing or someone who is not representative of America’s veterans. 

America’s veterans are a legion of mature, professionally dedicated warriors. They stand for something bigger than themselves and they have unique values and skill sets that could very well represent the future of many of our great communities. 

Highly crafted statistics about veteran suicide and PTSD have infiltrated the minds of the American populace, and even worse our own veterans. They have convinced us, even if only in a place in our minds that we don’t want to talk about openly, that those that have served their country are somehow victims. This victimhood has become exalted in our culture. The real problem exists when this victimhood mentality is repeated so many times that we all start believing it. It’s simple marketing philosophy. One really effective way to deliver a message and make it stick is to deliver it again and again and again.

So, if you’re still reading here is my 100th challenge to you all: If you are a veteran or serving currently, know that you are not broken. You are not a victim so don’t you dare ever act like it. You have been through challenges most can’t relate to and now you have a responsibility to yourself, your community, your country, and your fellow human beings to continue to be at your best. If you’re making excuses as to why you can’t do something…stop. If you need care…get it. Don’t believe that it is somehow impossible to find help. Open up a computer and research care for yourself. You’ll be amazed at the great resources available to you. If you are not a veteran, know that we are just like you. We are not some group to be tip-toed around. Quite the contrary, I encourage you to challenge veterans and active service members that you know to continue to uphold strong values and a high degree of personal and professional conduct. Get to know us if you don’t already. We are a proud group and certainly not without our fair share of flaws but we love to have fun and do great work. Do not coddle us. When and if the time is right, there is nothing wrong with asking a service member to tell you about their personal story. If they don’t want to share, they won’t but regardless we will close the gap in understanding. 

I wish you all happiness, health, and a strong and resilient mindset.