Your Service Our Gratitude

This column reaches our readers a few days after we celebrated this year's Veterans Day, but this message's delay by a few days may be a good thing.

As they say about other holidays and their unique attributes, such as the peace we promote at Christmas or a sense of nationhood we mark on the Fourth of July, every day should be Veterans Day. Not that setting aside a day to be off more than once a year would be all that practical. But the spirit of Veterans Day may certainly live on throughout the year and does for many in our valley's communities and elsewhere in the country.

To reflect that, we want to start off this editorial by thanking our many veterans from the bottom of our hearts for their service to our country. It can never be stated too often: Theirs is the ultimate sacri- fice, putting themselves in harm's way, knowing they could lose their lives (and many have) to protect ours.

It would be too hard for us to list all the veterans in Prescott, Waits- burg, Dayton, Starbuck and Dixie, but you know who you are. If you are a veteran reading this, know that your people have your back and that we honor your selflessness.

Because we asserted that we'd like the spirit of Veterans Day to live on beyond the yearly reminder and celebration, we'd also like to part with some advice to make that tangible. In our estimation, there are at least three ways to do so.

Thank A Veteran. On a personal note, this publisher began walk- ing up to perfect strangers in uniform just a few years ago. In airport terminals, bus stations and other public places where I would see a serviceman or woman, I would step over to them and offer my hand in gratitude if it was clear I wasn't imposing on their time or intimacy with family.

Without fail, these young men and women would look this 50-something civilian in the eye and quietly return their gratitude for reaching out to them. Sure, sometimes it was a bit awkward. I'm not a politician and I don't generally make it a habit of going around shak- ing hands with people I've never met, but I could tell from the soldiers' reaction that they're used to it and that's an encouraging sign.

Naturally, they don't expect to be mobbed like rock stars. Just a simple, sincere thank you is all you need to bestow on them so those who put their lives on the line for us know why and for whom they're doing it: for everybody.

If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. It's liberating. It's probably something you've long thought about doing anyway, but couldn't muster up the courage or create the moment. If there's a bit of fear to overcome, just think what fears they have to overcome.

Hire A Veteran. Even more valuable in a practical sense than expressing your gratitude to veterans through a personal hand shake, consider hiring one if you are in a position to do so. The good news is that unemployment among all veterans fell to one of its lowest levels in three years this August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At 6.6 percent, it is well below the national average unemployment rate of 7.9 percent.

However, the jobless rate for post 9/11 veterans rose to 10.9 per- cent during this last period for which data is available. Although that is the lowest too in four years, much remains to be done to reintegrate our veterans from Afghanistan or Gulf War II.

Making a labor marketplace match isn't always easy and requires an active approach from both parties: the employer and employable veteran. The employer can connect to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce program called "Hiring Our Heroes," which you can visit at www.uschamber.com. Locally, prospective employers can contact their local veterans groups informally to find out who is looking for work and for what kind or simply pass along a job posting.

The veteran can prepare themselves for the job market by taking advantage of such programs like the post 9/11 GI Bill and the federal Veterans Retraining and Assistance Program (www.benefits.va.gov).

Help A Veteran. Finally, in the more general category of being supportive to veterans, particularly those returning to civilian life now and those with disabilities, just be neighborly and nurturing. Get to know them, be patient with them through their adjustment challenges and offer personal assistance if you can.

In all these ways, we can play our role in strengthening the sense of family our servicemen and women need as human beings and honored members of our communities.