Even After They Return Poem by Jim Yerman

Today we honor our veterans…but shouldn't we find a way
as the country who sent them off to fight…
to honor them every day?

These are not just soldiers going off to war…
they're our sisters and our bothers…
They're our friends, our neighbors, our children
They're our fathers…and our mothers.

And we have to know…as they walk away…
and we lovingly whisper their name…
that soldiers heading off to war…will not come back the same.

Because war is never easy…
hearts and minds are easily rearranged
and everybody comes back wounded…
everyone comes back changed.

Families know there are two times we hold our soldiers the tightest
a lesson our country should learn…
The first is the day they go off to war…
the second…the day when they return.

There is another lesson about war and soldiers…our country needs to learn:
The same country that sent them off to fight…
must not abandon them when they return.

Every day, not just Veterans Day, we should strive to make their futures bright
We must spend as much money welcoming them home
As we did when we sent them to fight.

So on this day and every day America…
Let's show our veterans the respect they all have earned…
By giving them the same support we showed them the day they left…
Even after they return.