Veterans

This morning’s headlines included: ‘Zelensky and D-Day veteran call each other ‘hero’’; ‘ Police escort D-Day veteran, 104, to memorial’; ‘Guard of honour for D-Day veteran, 100…’

Yesterday, as we remembered the Normandy D-day landings, the emphasis was on the surviving veterans and their stories. The youngest I saw was 96 – just 16 when he experienced the horrors of D-day; the 104-year-old was a young man of 24…

As a child I watched Remembrance Day parades. There were old men, veterans of the First World War; veterans of the Second World War were then still young…

Military veterans today may have served in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Viet Nam…

Wikipedia says: ‘A veteran (from Latin vetus ‘old’) is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an occupation or field.

I’ve recently heard about veteran actor, Anthony Hopkins… veteran politician, Michael Heseltine …veteran singer, Tom Jones. We may refer to a veteran guitarist, newsreader, goalkeeper, cookery-expert… Each has long experience in their occupation or skill; each is respected for their expertise; each has stories to tell and lessons to teach.

Yesterday I had conversations with veterans… a veteran bricklayer, a veteran prison-chaplain, a veteran barmaid, a veteran teacher, a veteran bus-driver, a veteran carpet-fitter… Each has many years of experience; each deserves respect for their expertise; each has stories to tell.

Job was a veteran follower of his God – years of experience, respected, stories to tell. Then disaster strikes. He experiences bereavement, physical illness and material loss. Searching for an apparently absent God, in his suffering he says, ‘But he (God) knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.’

Many veterans’ experience includes hardship or suffering – so they deserve more respect, giving their stories have more meaning, importance and relevance.

And me?… I guess I could be described as a veteran teacher or a veteran church-leader; I would be more proud to be known as a veteran God-follower – like Job.