Take time to thank veterans
Dear Annie: Over 5.4 million veterans received care in Veterans Affairs health facilities in 2007. This year VA will treat more than 774,000 veterans hospitalized in our facilities across the nation. VA’s outpatient clinics, nearly 900 of them, will register over 60 million visits. From the patient rooms of VA hospitals to the halls of VA outpatient clinics around the country, it is clear to see that freedom isn’t free.
Our veterans have given so much, sacrificed so much and devoted so much on behalf of America, that you’ll find no individual who cherishes freedom more. Our veterans’ devotion to duty and the true spirit of democracy is only matched by the dedication and unyielding support of your readers during the VA National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans. It is hard to describe the joy on a veteran’s face when they open a valentine delivered by a caring member of the community, a civic group or scout troop, or perhaps just someone who wants to say “thank you for your service.”
The 2008 National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans is from Feb. 10-17. Valentines may be delivered to your local VA hospital, and the address can be found by checking the local phone directory or by visiting www.va.gov/directory and selecting “Find a Facility.” In addition to delivering valentines, why not take a few moments to personally say thank you to a veteran? It’s so easy to do, too. The Voluntary Services Department will be happy to arrange it. It will mean so much to our veterans and bring a true feeling of warmth and satisfaction to the visitor.
Thank you, Annie, for your ongoing support of National Salute. Your column continues to shine the light of hope and caring to our veterans. God bless you.
‘ James B. Peake, M.D., Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C.
Dear Secretary Peake: Thank you for allowing us to be part of this wonderful and heartwarming annual project. We can never repay these courageous veterans for the sacrifices they have made on our behalf, but we can take the time to cheer them up and let them know they have not been forgotten.
Readers, please send valentines to our veterans at VA hospitals. Teachers, you have always been wonderfully supportive in making this a class project, especially with those charming and adorable handmade valentines. Encourage your students to display their creativity and let them learn firsthand the satisfaction that comes from doing for others and expressing gratitude.
Last year, students from St. Jude the Apostle grade school in Wynantskill, N.Y., sang songs and distributed valentines and cookies at their local VA. Athletes from Eastern Michigan University men’s wrestling team and women’s golf team visited veterans at the Ann Arbor VA. In Tampa, Fla., students from the Walton Academy for the Performing Arts gave a special musical performance to the veterans.
The veterans would be especially thrilled if you could spend a few minutes visiting. You don’t have to worry about the conversation ‘ to get started, just ask them to talk about their hometowns.
If you do not live close enough to a VA facility to drop off your valentines in person, it’s perfectly fine to put them in the mail. We know of nothing else that costs so little and brings so much happiness.
‘ Marcy and Kathy
Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611. To find out more about Annie’s Mailbox, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.