Operation Take a Vet Fishing
NEVER FORGET OUR VETERANS
As founder of Powers' Tax Service and LeisureTyme.net, LLC, I have always believed that the rewards of giving of one's time as a volunteer or donating in other ways to a worthy cause should never be the sole purpose of giving. In fact, it is just the contrary (in my humble opinion). It is in giving of one's self without the expectation of praise or reward that we ultimately see good things unfold in our lives and in some instances potentially very bad things go away. But sometimes it takes a bit of initiative before people are noticed for what they do.
I believe this is the case with those who serve out nation in the military, who risk the ultimate sacrifice to keep us here safe. So if these brave men and women love America enough to risk everything to keep us safe, I feel that "we, the people" who they serve to protect have an obligation to reach out in any way they can to say thank you, and find some way to do so.
While having coffee in the weeks before Christmas with a friend of mine I began to think of our service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan who would not be spending the holidays with their families. Some because they were deployed in the Middle East and others because they are either in hospitals or will never see their families again. Adrian began telling me how she will be working with the Viet Nam Veterans of America to help raise money to help our brave men and women in uniform to transition back to mainstream life as well as to provide assistance to their families.
I began to think about how I was able to pursue my career and family life as well as enjoy fishing on my boat because people who I never met were keeping us safe. I started thinking about my friend Louie who stepped on a mine in Vietnam shortly after his arrival, and how we used to sneak him out of the VA hospital to get him loaded on the weekends before bringing him back. I wondered what happened to Louie. I have been so caught up in my daily life these past 35 years that I have lost touch with Lou. Whether we agreed with the war in Southeast Asia or not, Louie deserved better than just a memory. He deserved better. So did the hundreds of thousands of brave Americans who have served our nation. We have the responsibility to change this!
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Some of us remember the 58,000 Viet Nam casualties but what about the 550,000 wounded. We just heard that the U.S. military fatality toll in Iraq has surpassed 3,000 but what about the over 22,000 wounded, many seriously. Not included in these statistics are the affects of mental trauma. Few are left to remember the 300,000 who gave their lives in WWII and the equal number wounded in action. It is so easy to forget......
My hope by starting the Operation Take a Vet Fishing initiative is that Americans will never forget, and while we have the opportunity to do so, we can reach out to say thank you. Let Take a Vet Fishing be a only first step for Americans to reach out and show we do care, and that Americans will never forget. If you don't like fishing, take a vet bowling, or golfing, or drop into a VA hospital or a VFW hall and just say "thank you".
Semper Paratus,
Andy Powers