A Day to Thank Veterans

Luke Timmerman, founder & editor, Timmerman Report

Happy Veteran’s Day.

For some reason, this day doesn’t receive the same level of attention of most holidays on the American calendar.

Let’s pause today to thank veterans in our communities. For real. Face to face. Or maybe on the phone. Not in a tweet.

As I wrote last year:

Today is a day when I honor my Dad.

He was a US Army Ranger who served in combat in Vietnam from 1969-1970.

He came home to a country boiling with anger and division. Many didn’t respect or value his service. He had some conflicted feelings, like many veterans.

Today he’s 75 years old. Retired. Healthy. Taught my sister and I some important life lessons. Cherishes time with his grandkids. Thankfully, he is still able to get access to quality healthcare at the Veterans Administration in Madison, Wis.

Our veterans deserve respect. Their sacrifice isn’t always visible or well understood. But their contributions are a big part of why we live in such a vibrant, creative, dynamic, optimistic, entrepreneurial, prosperous, safe and tolerant country.

Let’s remember these blessings. Let’s do our part to keep things this way. And work hard every day on creating the future of medicine, and on creating a more perfect union.

We need to find ways to better understand people in our communities who don’t look and sound exactly like us. Talking with a veteran and showing some respect for their service in a meaningful way is one way to start a true dialogue.

Members of the biotech community can seek to better understand the healthcare needs of veterans. You can share your enthusiasm for the health sciences. I bet most veterans would be fascinated to learn about what you do.

It’s one decent way to start rebuilding the bridges we need in our country.