New Jersey high school hosts special tribute to veterans. Here's how a psychiatrist says you can show gratitude, too
As we recognize Veterans Day and honor those who have served in the military, experts say it's important to understand the special needs many vets have.
Pennsauken High School in New Jersey had a special tribute today for Veterans Day. Members of the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and staffers joined in the ceremony to honor local veterans.
"Integrity first reminds us to act with honesty and more courage not just when it's easy but especially when it's hard," said retired Senior Master Sergeant Vivian Bender.
While we honor their service and sacrifice, Veterans Day can be bittersweet for some.
"It becomes very, very personal for a lot of people, especially when they've lost friends and loved ones," said Dr. Charles Weber, founder and chief medical officer at Family Care Center.
Weber is also a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a psychiatrist. Family Care Center provides mental health support to veterans and their families. He said those who have been deployed to combat zones can have an especially hard time being forced to face certain feelings.
"I think a lot of it is a struggle for each one of the individual veterans that kind of get to marinate in some of their past and some of their past loss," Weber said.
Weber said it's OK to thank a veteran you don't know well but he says if a loved one has served, he suggests getting personal with your gratitude, giving them your time, guiding them to helpful resources, and helping them stay connected to others.
"If you know of a vet and they're isolating and they're staying away or they're, they're kind of holing up, is to really do more than thank you for your services. To kind of reach out, checking up on them, inviting him to that barbecue, inviting him to that time to kind of reconnect with that, which we've sacrificed for," he said.
The VA says of the nation's 18 million veterans, 11% sought mental health services last year. Many are struggling with depression and anxiety.
