[November 11, 2026] Hello, my friend, General Satterfield. It seems that every time we turn around, we are having our Memorial Day services or Veterans Day ceremonies, where we remember the heroes who have been bringing peace to our country for many years.
General, I must be very honest: it is hard for me to speak or think about Veterans Day without also thinking about Memorial Day. We have freedom in our great country 365 days a year, but we only share two days on our calendar to honor our great warriors.
Going back to the Revolutionary War, which ended in 1783, our soldiers who came home were not much different from our soldiers of today coming home. Pretty much, things have not changed.
It seems to me that soldiers received very little pay during the Revolutionary War. There were many who never received their back pay. Some were allowed to keep their weapons and equipment as partial recompense. Some received nothing but the uniforms on their backs. Many never even received a thank you.
The Civil War, which ended in 1865, saw just about the same thanks from Washington. Right after the Civil War ended, two major organizations were formed: the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and the United Confederate Veterans (UCV). Civil War veterans, family, and friends would gather every year for picnics, campfires, and parades. Both groups of veterans never received everything they had earned or had been promised.
We have been promising our veterans things for many years, but way too many have died waiting in long lines for benefits, died alone, died on our streets because they were homeless, and way too many have died by suicide.
We can slow down veteran suicides if only Washington would listen. How can we not see the drastic change in our heroes from the time they go to war to the time they come home? All you have to do is look in their eyes.
Many TV shows and movies about World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan bring the war into every living room in America. They give us some idea of what our veterans have done so that we can all have a free and safe life here in America.
Why is it that we never see an American flag touch the ground, and if it does, we pick it up immediately? Yet we allow our women and men who served in uniform to sleep homeless on the ground in all 50 states here in America, and we walk over them.
OUR VETERANS ARE THE AMERICAN FLAG.
Things have gotten a little bit better here at home after our past few wars, but we still have a long way to go. Washington and all politicians must put our veterans on the same playing field as the foreign governments we give weapons to that are used to kill.
We need more veterans in office. When a senator or congressperson gets sworn into office in Washington, do they use the same words and Bible that our veterans are sworn in with?
How can we say we love our country but look the other way and continually shortchange our veterans?
I am sorry for getting off track about our veterans, General, but all I can say is that the straightest line from the Revolutionary War until our present wars is the long lines, the denials, and, sadly, the deaths of too many veterans still waiting for what they earned and what they were promised by our government.
General, two things have remained the same with our revolutionary soldiers and our present day soldiers. Our veterans have always kept our country free and safe and our politicians never kept their promise to take care of our veterans when they come home.
Today, we seem very concerned about communism and the possibility of communism coming to our shores. I do want to remind everyone that it was the teenage Vietnam veterans who went to Southeast Asia to halt communism from coming to America.
I can speak for the millions of Vietnam veterans who served and the almost 59,000 who died, as well as the sacrifice of the 59,000 Gold Star moms and dads connected to those who died in Vietnam.
WE DID A DAMN GREAT JOB.
We still have over 80,000 Americans missing and not home yet from all wars. We must keep pressure on Washington to never forget. Never stop looking.
General, what I really want to say is that the forgotten heroes of all these wars are our mothers.
They were there when we came home. They were there to speak to us while others ignored us. They were there to listen while so many turned a deaf ear. They tried to heal us when others didn’t care. They would never allow their sons and daughters to be homeless.
Our moms wrote letters every day and prayed on their knees every night for our safety.
General Satterfield, our moms are some of the greatest people God put on our planet, because if we don’t have moms, we don’t have a free country. If we don’t have moms, we don’t have a military. Sadly, if we don’t have moms, we don’t have Arlington.
So don’t forget to thank our moms and dads on Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
Please let us all remember what Eleanor Roosevelt said: “A woman is like a tea bag; you don’t know how strong she is until you put her in boiling water.”
Love ya, General,
Joe
God bless our heroes. Joe Griffies, well said.
For all our great and patriotic veterans, please accept my personal thanks for what you do, and have done for us.
Hey, Greg, I second that sentiment. Too many folks today reject the idea of war, and they do this because they have been led to believe that the solution to all of mankind’s problems is love and harmony. Well, that is exactly what they said in China, Russia, and all the other dictatorships that made their citizens “equal.”
Our veterans from every war are true American heroes who put their lives on the line so the rest of us can live free. From the Revolutionary War to Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, they fought hard, kept our flag flying high, and protected our country when it needed them most. Too many of them came home and were forgotten, left waiting for help, or struggling while the promises made to them were never kept. We should honor these brave men and women every single day, not just on Veterans Day, by standing up for them, cutting the long lines for benefits, and making sure they get the respect they earned. America stays strong and free only because of these forgotten heroes, and it is our duty as citizens to remember their sacrifice and never let them down. Thank you, Mr. Griffies, well said.