WHAT IS A VETERAN? A definition of a veteran

Next Wednesday morning I will leave Ontario, California with approximately
300 military veterans on motorcycles headed for Washington DC. on what is
known as the "Run For The Wall." I will be accompanying them as one of the
official support vehicles. This is my second year of service in this
capacity. The purpose is to help keep America aware of those POW's and MIA's
still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. And also, to remind America of
the sacrifices of all its veterans of past wars and those currently serving
in the military. I'm honored to again be chosen to participate in this
endeavor, but I'm also a little troubled by the fact that America has to be
reminded about their sacrifices.

But man has always had to be reminded of things done for him and of
blessings bestowed, hasn't he (we)? Throughout the history of ancient Israel
God commanded them to observe certain feasts and certain days and to place
certain monuments in locations for the express purpose of putting them "in
remembrance" of what God had done for them.

In the New Testament we find the same purpose being given for the memorial
of the Lord's Supper instituted as a commemoration of Christ's death, burial
and resurrection. In 1Cor. 11:24-25 we find the words "this do in
remembrance of me." God, man's Creator, knows full and well that we have a
propensity to forget things. Don't we? I'm going to leave shortly for a
hardware store to purchase a tool because I can't remember where I put the
other two that I own. 'Nuff said.
For the rest of my time and space here today, I'm going to devote it to some
thoughts on veterans and I think that as you read these thoughts, you just
might be able to exchange the word "veteran" with the word "Christian" and
find that the thought fits there also.

At the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC, is the "Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier." Inscribed on the monument of that tomb are the words:
"KNOWN BUT TO GOD." I have just a quick thought about that - in Matt. 10:29
Jesus says that "not a sparrow falls without the Father." If God knows when
a sparrow falls, I'm convinced that he knows when a veteran/Christian falls.
And wouldn't you say with me, that both are in the "line of duty?"

For the remainder of this editorial, I'm going to provide you with the words
of an essay entitled "What Is A Veteran." I've taken a little literary
license here and edited it for space purposes. If you're like me, I'm
reminded of someone that fits about all of the descriptions given of
veterans. And, as mentioned earlier, as we see veterans described in
relation to service to our nation, think about Christians and their service
to God and the cause of Christ.

WHAT IS A VETERAN
Some veterans bear visible signs of their service....a missing limb, a
jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside
them...a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg....or
perhaps another sort of inner steel...the soul's ally forged in the refinery
of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept
America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking.
What is a vet?

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating
two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out
of fuel. He may be a loudmouth, or dumber than five wooden planks, but his
behavior is outweighed a hundred times over by four hours of exquisite
bravery near the 38th parallel.
She or he is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep
sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang. He is the POW who went
away one person and came back another - or didn't come back at all. He is
the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a
prosthetic hand. He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and
medals pass him by.

He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns whose
presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory
of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the
battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and
aggravatingly slow who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all
day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares
come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who
offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country
and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice
theirs. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness and he
is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest,
greatest nation ever known.

He is the beggar on the street corner, holding up a piece of cardboard
with the scribbling, "Help a Vet, HUNGRY!"

So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just
lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need and in most cases
it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were
awarded. Two little words that meant a lot, "THANK YOU." (Auth. Dennis Edw.
O'Brien, USMC)
In closing, let's carry that thought one step further - let's say "Thank
You, God" for sacrificing Your Son and "Thank You, Jesus" for being obedient
to the cross. Without either of those sacrifices, we would have no hope of
anything better than this earthly existence. And another "Thank You" we
should never forget - all of the valiant Christian veterans who "fought the
good fight," especially those who served in our vineyard/battlefields and
taught us. THANK YOU!

Ron Covey