Perspective: Military need more than one or two days of recognition a year

Session may be over, but political action is not. We all know there will be a special session, but what it needs to cover is clearly up for debate. I hope the governor will follow his conservative principles and limit the special session to just the items we did not address in the regular session. We all have special agendas we would like the governor to address in a special session. We all think they are important. But the bottom line is we have five months of regular session, and the Legislature needs to do its job within the time allotted if at all possible.

Memorial Day services were emotional, impressive and well planned. Unfortunately, the majority of the people in attendance were people who have direct military involvement or their families. I would have liked to have seen more people who do not have military members in their families. The sacrifices military members and their families make and the amount we as a society owe them for what they have given us really never hit home until I became more politically active and realized what all they do and how little they are recognized and appreciated.

I saw many Facebook postings and newspaper articles expanding on what Memorial Day meant, but we must realize our dedication to the military has to be more than one or two days of recognition each year. It is not enough to say thank you. It is our responsibility to provide whatever care our veterans need for conditions they suffer as a result of their service. It is only after you meet with them and see firsthand not only the physical but also the emotional trauma that war has inflicted upon them. The least that we can do for the people who have given up so much for us is to honor our promise to take care of them.

There are many organizations we can participate in that lend support to veterans. I assure you if you join and participate in any of them and are given the opportunity to meet some of the veterans who are living with the injuries they have received fighting for us, you will have a much greater appreciation for what they are sacrificing and have sacrificed.

Speaking of dedicated individuals, I had the opportunity to go to a fundraiser for Healing House and New Beginnings, one of the many organizations available to help people with substance abuse and with the problems inflicted upon them not only by themselves but also their families. While at this fundraiser, I had the opportunity to hear young ladies share their horrible experiences with drugs and how they survived with the help of others and a good Christian program.

My experience with organizations like Healing House and New Beginnings are great examples of people sacrificing their time and efforts to help others in need. Although they are not given the recognition they deserve, it is clear their work is providing great benefit to the community. We only hear about the shootings, crime, kidnappings, robberies and people refusing to work, etc., which causes us to then wonder where our society is going. If you dig a little deeper, we still do have a great society with plenty of opportunities for people to join and participate in doing good things.

I met with various legislators addressing issues that will be brought up next session and issues for the special session.

I received various opinions on some votes I took last session, which I expected because I cannot keep everyone happy all the time. But I can say I believed, and continue to believe, every vote I cast was in the best interest of my constituents. I have to make decisions based on what is in front of me, not what the perfect world would look like or what I would like necessarily. I try to vote in the way that is best for my constituents overall and in the long run, not just for what is politically popular today.

State Rep. Rudy Veit, R-Jefferson City, represents the 59th District and shares his perspective on statehouse issues twice a month.