Members of the nonpartisan Veterans for American Ideals pushed for renewal of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program that aids interpreters who served alongside them.
Wednesday is Veterans Day, and I thought I would share something I just learned about how some veterans have continued in public service after being discharged from the military.
Last week, veterans volunteered at the polls because coronavirus concerns were keeping elderly poll workers and others at risk at home.
As Sarah Sicard wrote at Military Times, “Veterans often look for opportunities to continue to serve even after retiring or moving on from the military. In 2020, a number of veterans have taken to volunteering to work the polls at their local election sites.”
Sicard cites Maggie Seymour, who served in the Marine Corps from 2008 to 2017. Seymour wrote on Twitter that she was expecting a baby and “serving as an election judge here in Beaufort. Exposing little fetus to the sounds of democracy!”
Sicard continues, “Veterans across the country have volunteered on Nov. 3 to serve in various capacities, many through the organization Veterans for American Ideals [VIFI]. …
“ ‘We’re trying to get vets engaged as poll workers to assist in pulling off a free and fair election, protect the elderly — who constitute the majority of poll workers — during COVID, and get a new generation involved in their communities,’ said Christopher Purdy, program manager of Veterans for American Ideals, according to Reuters.” More at Military Times, here.
I decided to take a look at the VIFI website, where I found this mission statement. “Veterans for American Ideals is a nonpartisan group of veterans who share the belief that America is strongest when its policies and actions match its ideals.
“We dedicated our lives to our country as citizen-soldiers, and we believe that honor, courage, commitment, duty, and country are not just words, but values worth defending. After taking off the uniform, we seek to continue serving our country by advocating for policies that are consistent with the ideals that motivated us to serve in the first place.
“Our current campaigns are focused on saving the Special Immigrant Visa program for interpreters and translators who served with the U.S. military, protecting refugees, and countering Islamophobia.”
Now, I call that living your values.
Read more at Vets For American Ideals, here — and have a happy, thoughtful Veterans Day.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
I had heard that, too. What a great way of serving their country.
I think that many, if not most people, who joined the military dedicate themselves to a lifetime of service, even after they no longer serve in that capacity. I admire several who have run for office in recent years.
This is such a lovely story! Thank you!
It’s a reminder — to me anyway — that the veteran community is made up of as many views and kinds of people as any other community.