Few things in life are absolute, but moral standards define the left and right limits of individual behavior. Ive been honored with the label of incorrigible given by more than one woman, who meant it with less than the accepted degree of pride in its reception. As a realist, I accept that the ideal may be unrealized. I understand that political compromise is often a necessity, and that organizations with the purest intent require funding to operate. While that means that full-time, paid employees and infrastructure may require diversion of financial donations from the cause to the administration of that cause, a non-profit should seek to maximize efficiency of the funds entrusted in it by those that support it. Hence, my bar has always been higher than the charity rating organizations. My ideal has always been those groups that volunteer time rather than ask for donations to support the employment of paid volunteers. As an Army Veteran, it pains me that so often I find the closest to the ideal organizations to be run by Marine Veterans. This is not a condemnation of Marines, but a recognition that Honor is more deeply instilled in their character. It pains me, not that the Marines do things so right, but that so seldom can I find that in organizations led by my Army brethren. That isnt to say that it never happens, but rather that the frequency doesnt match the per capita ratios in the relevant populations. Many times Ive been asked about Veteran and Troop suicide, and many times Ive stated that the best inoculation against it is the companionship of Veterans. NO ONE understands Veterans like Veterans. Spending time outdoors, where Veterans are in their own environment is another great way of preventing the mental path of personal guilt that leads to the permanent solution to a temporary condition. While multiple local civilian organizations have embarked on that path, A Hero is a way to put them together with those Veterans most in need of that socialization. It is an uphill battle for any single person to find, vet, and catalog all those groups that support such an endeavor, or even a majority of them. In fact, the best organizations are often small and difficult to vet. With all of that said, another Marine based organization is doing the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason: https://facebook/AHEROFoundation/photos_stream Now, it is your turn to ask yourselves: Is this an organization that I should support? If so, how? Can I expand their efforts with my time and energy? Can I expand their resources with my donations? Or, is my effort limited to publicizing their efforts through my words? If you truly support efforts to decreasing Veteran Suicide rates, its not through more shrinks and tax dollars to put solar panels on VA hospitals, but in putting a successful Veteran in a boat or duck stand with another Veteran. Veterans are naturally inclined to success and predisposed against being dependent on society.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 22:06:21 +0000
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