The day of the veterans

 November 11, 2025
Owl Feather Farm, San Juan Island

Like so many words in English, ‘veteran’ is a complex, multi-faceted term. In a broad sense, it describes people who have experienced something many times—a veteran of many hurricanes. It also describes people who have practiced a particular skill or profession for a long time—law enforcement veterans, or veteran paramedics.

And, more discretely, it is applied to those who have spent time in the military. If they fought in specific conflicts, they are veterans of that war—most famously, Vietnam veterans.

It’s illustrative how we parse out different terms for different types of people affected by war. Those who did not fight are ‘survivors,’ not veterans. Those who escaped are refugees. Those who were wounded or died are ‘casualties.’

The day of the veterans
Women are veterans, too, as here in Ireland

This euphemistic paintbrush indicates the ambivalent feelings we carry about war, understandable but spiritually feeble. War is not good for children and other living things, went the old Sixties slogan. Unstated and rarely said out loud is the fact that in our society war is really not good for military veterans.

Before they head off to the jungles or deserts, we talk of ‘honor.’

While they’re there, we talk about ‘support.’

And when they come home, we look the other way.

Veterans arrive home to indifference. They receive shoddy aid, ranging from medical care to educational support. Most quickly learn to hide their status and blend back into society, if they can. Or they disappear into the woods and become ‘tripwire vets.’

Sometimes we say, “Thank you for your service,” as if that would steer them away from addiction or depression.

The day of the veterans
Something as simple as a golf outing can make a difference for a disabled vet

The path to personal peace and wellbeing includes responsibility. It’s a cornerstone, in fact, impossible to achieve without exercising personal integrity. That often includes responsibility for those around us, our friends and family, neighbors and fellow travelers on the rocky road of human life. Today is a day to reflect on what we may actually do for veterans, rather than spout platitudes.

President Woodrow Wilson, when he created what has become Veterans Day, included in his 300-word declaration just one short phrase about the men and women who actually fought World War I, burying it in a landslide of sanctimonious bluster about victory and saving civilization… thus continuing the ancient tradition of looking the other way when the fighters come home.

Here at Owl Feather Farm we practice several kinds of healing—addiction recovery, animal healing (especially equine), sound baths and spiritual readings; various forms of physical wellness ranging from Pilates to the Aleph-Tav body system. All people are welcome, and today we especially invite any veterans to visit. Come by and meet our equine healers, Cereus and Cocoa; walk our vast meadows and quiet woodlands; sit down to a healthful supper of wondrous homegrown food.

None of these are miracle remedies, but they do embrace the light in our world, for veterans and everyone else.

—Eric Lucas

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