It’s Veterans Day, but I’m afraid honor has become a cultural ritual, one that’s left us forgetting to teach our children what it actually requires.
asserted
it → ’ → what
If our patriotism begins and ends with a flag emoji or a Veterans Day sale, we’re missing something profoundly important.
asserted
we → begin → something
What’s especially relevant right now is understanding that we can debate America’s wars, disagree about foreign policy, and even question the military-industrial complex without disrespecting the courage or sacrifice of the brave men and women who serve.
asserted
who → ’ → men
We’ve seen this disconnect before.
asserted
We → see → disconnect
Vietnam veterans came home to a country that blamed them for an unpopular war and paid the price for policy decisions they never made.
asserted
they → come → decisions
We’re watching a version of that same instinct play out today, as Americans argue over strikes on Iran and whether America should be involved in that fight at all.
asserted
America → watch → fight
But the people wearing the uniform didn’t make the decision to go to war; they simply faithfully answered when their country called them.
asserted
country → wear → them
That’s worth remembering before we let a war’s politics decide how we treat the people who fought it.
asserted
who → ’ → it
Getting this wrong has a cost, and veterans are already paying it.
asserted
veterans → get → it
Veterans die by suicide at a rate 56.5% higher for men and 99.9% higher for women than their non-veteran peers.
asserted
Veterans → die → peers
A 2025 AARP survey found that 38% of veterans age 45 and older are lonely; that’s nearly 5 million Americans.
asserted
that → find → veterans
And the respect that should be a given is eroding right along with our divisions.
asserted
that → erode → divisions
Trust in the military as an institution has fallen from 70% in 2018 to under half of Americans today.
asserted
Trust → fall → Americans
Depression, isolation, and a culture less inclined to say thank you are not problems the government alone can solve.
asserted
government → say → you
They are problems that committed citizens can face themselves.
asserted
citizens → face → that
That respect shouldn’t end when the uniform comes off.
asserted
uniform → end → ?
Veterans contribute to our communities in unique ways, with their training, leadership, ability to work as a team, and understanding of what it means to serve a cause bigger than themselves.
asserted
it → contribute → themselves
Their military service may be over, but they still have so much to offer our churches, workplaces, neighborhoods, and families.
uncertain
they → have → churches
Our country doesn’t ask every soldier to give his or her life, but every one of them is willing to.
asserted
one → ask → them
Long before any deployment, service members give up time with their families, months of training away from home, and the stability of an ordinary career, stepping up so the rest of us don’t have to.
What does honor look like in practice?
asserted
honor → give → practice
It starts with how we raise the next generation.
asserted
we → start → generation
At American Heritage Girls, one area of focus for troop life is cultivating a girl’s citizenship as a member of her community, state, and country.
asserted
area → cultivate → community
That same instinct should shape how every family raises its kids.
asserted
family → shape → kids
Teach your children why service members’ positions demand reverence, and why that reverence shouldn’t fade once they’ve retired from the service.
asserted
they → teach → service
Some of our girls have hosted brunches or baked treats for veterans.
asserted
Some → host → veterans
Others have cleaned up a cemetery or organized a flag retirement ceremony.
asserted
Others → clean → ceremony
Show your sons and daughters that honor and gratitude also don’t have to be formal or elaborate by inviting a veteran you know over for coffee, asking about their service, and thanking them out loud.
asserted
you → show → them
At a time when we feel divided over nearly everything, Americans can build the kind of unity that begins by honoring those who have faithfully protected and served.
***
Rachael Culpepper is the executive director for American Heritage Girls, the premier character and leadership development program for girls ages 5 to 18.
asserted
Culpepper → feel → girls
She has been involved in the organization’s mission to build women of integrity since the ministry’s founding in 1995.
asserted
She → involve → 1995
The Aporia
