Home means many different things to many different people. To many people, the word home is almost synonymous with the word family, which is also open for each of us to define in our own way.
For those who believe in something greater than themselves, who have answered the call to serve their communities and their nation, and who sacrifice to help others, both words can hold a unique meaning.
When two perfect strangers learn that they are both veterans, emergency responders, or healthcare professionals, they’ve really just found out that they are family. Although they’ve only just met, they feel an immediate bond. The past experiences they separately shared unite them in a way others will never fully understand. In one way or another, this is true of all who serve, and though the service may end, that bond and sense of family never does.
When you serve, you’re dependent on your team mates. You sacrifice together. You struggle together. You experience the full range of emotions from fear & terror to laughter & joy –together. There may be times when you as an individual may feel like giving up –and for your team mates you keep going. They need you, and you need them –and that remains true even when the mission is complete. Often, it’s the time after the mission ends that is the hardest.
Recent events including a global health crisis, loneliness epidemic, veteran suicide epidemic, economic shutdown, and widespread fear & uncertainty about the future have made it clearer than ever that we must work together to support one another. This is especially true for our heroes. We must remember that those who may be at the greatest risk of isolation, depression and suicide are those who not long ago sacrificed and risked everything to help others. Who are these heroes to turn to if not others who’ve served? Who else can relate? Who else can understand them?
The shared experiences and unique needs of servicemembers create a sense of family, and an implicit need for heroes to be enabled to come together to support each other.
After all, every family deserves a home.
After watching the tragedy of 9/11 unfold live on tv, I decided to serve in the armed forces with the desire to help prevent further tragedies. I wanted to help people, and to help make the world a safer and more stable place for all people to live. Though that stage of my career is behind me, my desire to help others continues.
Prior to the pandemic, we were already faced with major challenges, such as a loneliness epidemic -where an alarmingly high percentage of us felt isolated and without meaningful friendships and social support. We’ve also witnessed a veteran suicide epidemic, which claimed more lives than the entire Vietnam War. The pandemic compounded these problems, leaving even more people feeling isolated and alone amid increasing challenges with their careers and finances. Housing costs have out-paced income growth and inflation is an intimidating threat to many who are barely hanging on.
Life is very difficult right now for many people, but it is even harder trying to struggle through it alone. The challenges we face are complex and growing daily and the best way we can face them is together.
Now is the time to connect with others, make new friends, find support and people you can help support. Help your neighbor. Be the change you wish for in your community. If nothing else, be kind.
The Boston area is often called “the birthplace of freedom” for its role in winning independence and founding modern democracy. The area is filled with such history, from Battle Road in Minuteman National Park to the Freedom trail in Boston, from the sites of the Salem Witch Trials to the role of “Mill Girls” in women’s suffrage, from the birth of the American industrial revolution at textile mills in Lowell to the rise of industry barons who built Gilded Age “cottages” in Newport, Rhode Island. There are abundant opportunities to go exploring, visit museums, parks, attend concerts or shows, sample cuisine from around the world, or catch a baseball game in Fenway Park.
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