"When all is said and done, a lot more is said than done."

A couple of weeks ago my sisters suggested that on my next turn to blog I write about my trip to the World Series. So here goes! So exciting! We flew out on Tuesday morning, we checked into the hotel, we ate some delicious Kansas City BBQ, we listened to the Commissioner of Major League Baseball speak at the VA, we went to batting practice, we saw the Royals get romped in Game 1, we went to sleep, and then flew back home the next day. And there you have it! Blog= donezo! That was easy!

Just kidding. It was actually a whirlwind trip that I really do not feel like writing about at all. Don’t get me wrong, it was an AMAZING experience for which I am truly grateful. I was extremely humbled to be chosen to represent all of our Nation’s Veterans and spending time with my father, who is a Vietnam Veteran, was an added bonus. However, I have more important things to write about…

Over the last month I had the privilege of attending several amazing, once in a lifetime type events due to (but not solely because of) my status as a Veteran. Prior to my trip to the World Series in Kansas City, I received a tour of Fenway Park from Red Sox Player, David (Big Papi) Ortiz, and played catch with him in front of the Green Monster. Last evening, I attended “Mission Gratitude” at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I heard Medal of Honor Recipient, SSG Ryan Pitts, speak and watched the legendary Harry Connick, Jr. put on a hell of a musical performance. Between those events and all of the “thank you” sentiments I received today via text, email, Facebook, and in person, one would think I would be a pretty content person right now as I write this on Veterans Day evening. But, because I am an Alesch sister, a dissident daughter if you will, I am not content. Go figure. #Aleschproblems

You see, while I appreciate all the “Thank Yous” and the perks around Veterans Day (I guess you could call a free meal at Applebee’s, blech!, ummm a perk), it is not enough. OUR VETERANS DESERVE MORE. Wow- that makes me sound like an ungrateful bastard, huh?  The fact of the matter is that there is a growing cultural gap between the American people and our Veterans. Only 1% of the population serves in the military and even though we go to war as a COUNTRY, most civilians have no idea what our service actually entails much less what Veterans experience after coming home from War and/or completing their term of service. So let’s look at some of the statistics of which the general public may not be aware:

-          One in three Service members will experience either Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Only 50% of these Service members will seek treatment for these injuries. (Rand, 2008)

-          Veterans have a high rate of incarceration. It was predicted by one study that up to 500,000 Veterans will have criminal cases in court over the next decade.

-          Veterans have a high rate of depression. WE LOSE 22 VETERANS A DAY TO SUICIDE.

-          Veterans struggle with a high rate of unemployment and homelessness throughout the United States. In my small state of Massachusetts alone, there are over 30,000 homeless Vets!

-          Over 12,000 military women experienced unwanted sexual contact in 2012 (The Pentagon, 2014)

-          Hundreds of thousands of Veterans have backlogged VA Claims

And those are just some of the statistics. While I don’t have the current statistics for the divorce rates and family issues that Veterans face, I have plenty of personal and first-hand anecdotes- I could write an entire book collection. I have heard time and time again and most heartbreakingly from my sister, that we often “leave a part of ourselves over there.”

So what’s the point of this rant and all of my depressing statistics? One of my Facebook friends posted today that she didn’t know what to say and that words could not express her gratitude adequately so she would just simply say “thank you.” Well, I am asking YOU to NOT make it as simple as saying “thank you.” ACTIVELY LISTEN to our war stories when we need to vent about our experiences, don't label Veterans as "crazy,"  pay attention to the statistics in the news and the policy changes that we need to put in place in order to fix these grim statistics, and most importantly, if you are really serious about saying “thank you,” show it via your actions not just through your words and not just one day a year on the 11^th of November. Log off of social media for a day and walk the walk folks.  There are plenty of organizations that could use your volunteer time and donations. Here are just a few:

-The Red Sox Home Base Program www.homebaseprogram.org

-Homes for our Troops www.hfotusa.org

-Wounded Warrior Project www.woundedwarriorproject.org

-Project New Hope www.projectnewhopema.org

-The USO www.uso.org

-Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America www.iava.org

-Mass Fallen Heroes www.massfallenheroes.org

-New England Center for Homeless Veterans www.nechv.org

Next year, I would love to hear about your volunteer experience with one of these organizations! Don't tell me how proud of me you are for my service- tell me what you have done to help my brothers and sisters!