Learning About U.S. Veterans' Service and its Cost

Veterans' Day, 2026

I am not a veteran of military service. But I strive to appreciate veterans, individually and collectively, and today is a day Americans do that together.  

I write to recommend a book for others like me who are among the 99% of Americans who are not military veterans and who are willing, despite horror and discomfort, to learn some details and post-discharge burdens of service to, and in the name of, the United States.

The book is War Stories from the Forgotten Soldiers, by Edward W. Beal, M.D. (2019).  Dr. Beal is a psychiatrist; Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He was a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.  In the 2010s, mostly by "telemedicine," Dr. Beal treated hundreds of returning soldiers - and, in this book, he tells stories that many, if not most, of them would not even tell their family members.

I did not know until I read this book that only about one percent of Americans now serve in military service.  I recommend this book because I believe the other 99 percent of Americans should care about, and better understand, what military service to our nation - to every American - means physically, emotionally, mentally and socially. 

Trigger alert: I omit snippets from the book because some of the most powerful are so horrifying that the citizen interest, support, and courage to which I appeal might fail.

I just conclude with some of the recommendations of War Stories from the Forgotten Soldiers by others (all affiliations are for identification only, not organizational endorsements). 

"In his compelling book, Dr. Beal opens our eyes to the psychological aftermath of war. We certainly owe our men and women in uniform a great deal of gratitude for their sacrifices. But, equally as important, I believe we also owe them a greater understanding of what they face upon returning home."  - The late Senator Robert Dole.

"Beal's book helps us understand the sacrifice of soldiers when we think about using force for 'national security reasons.'  I recommend it as required reading for anyone who considers war a legitimate policy option to deal with perceived threats to national security."  - Ambassador Robert L. Gallucci, Ph.D.; Former President, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; former Ass't Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs; Professor and former Dean of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

"One of the many virtues of [War Stories from the Forgotten Soldiers] is that it moves beyond 'Thank you for your service' to the complexities of being or treating a Soldier or Marine in the Long War since 9/11."  - Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H., Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.); Chair of Psychiatry, Medstar Washington Hospital 

"In a word, [War Stories from the Forgotten Soldiers] is BRILLIANT.  I have never read anything quite like it."  - Robert Koffman, M.D., Capt., USN; former Director for Psychological Health to the Navy Surgeon General.

"I could not put it down. ... Here is a work every American should read, regardless of political persuasion, economic circumstance, race or culture. It's a rare, real and gripping book that will moisten your eyes and enlighten your mind."  - John J. Engels, President, Leadership Coaching, Inc. 

"'War and killing, guilt and grief are far too important not to be shared,' writes Dr. Edward Beal.  In War Stories from the Forgotten Soldiers, Beal calls on each of us to listen, feel, care and reach out to the four million veterans who served our country these past twenty years. ... This book inspires us to heal in every way."     - Ambassador Frederick D. Barton, Author of Peace Works; First Ass't Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations; Past Co-Director, Scholars in the Nation's Service Initiative, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University.

I did something selfish ...

I did something recently in the hope of contributing to an dear friend's health.

There was a bit of time involved and, if I am found to be an eligible donor, more time ahead.

Why did I do it?

It is something good I could do to show myself and at least my friend that I am willing to put my life where my mouth is. That I am willing to bear some of the burden of the effort to preserve a friend's quality of life. That I am willing to share the blessing of my health - something I care for but enjoy due mainly to genetic luck. 

I do not know whether I will be an eligible donor, but I am deeply moved to apply. Indeed, I find unexpected joy in doing so. This is a selfish act. And it costs me nothing except a bit of the feeling of entitlement not to do it and a bit of the belief that my luck is mine and others' is theirs. 

 

Think about it. https://www.kidneyregistry.com/ or https://www.nmdp.org/  or other organ donor programs, and optional organ donor listing if your state or nation offers that on drivers' licenses.

Citizens vote, and care, like members of a huge national family

Each citizen in a democracy who is eligible to vote is a steward, bound in honor to do their best to preserve the integrity of that democracy - including the inevitable disagreements, debates and tensions.

I urge every voter to vote in every election.  Whether the election is for President or Town Clerk, or on a referendum, voting is like having a huge family meeting to make major family decisions. How can one justify not attending and participating?  Who cares so little about their family as to refuse to do their part in examining its condition and values, deciding what values and policies need to be changed or preserved, and selecting the candidates who we believe will best steward the family's near future and preserve its long-term future? 

Each of our votes counts as much as the vote of the President or any Governor, Member of Congress, or Supreme Court Justice; as much as any boss, billionaire or celebrity. And many, many people have given their lives to protect their fellow citizens' right to vote.

Here in the U.S., Election Day 2026 is upon us.  The choice to vote or not vote in the November 3 Election is clear.  Citizens who are comfortable having fewer people involved in governance can, if they wish, stay home and accept the status quo. But those who reject authoritarian government and the self-dealing which comes with unchecked power, who want the federal government to be based on truth, the rule of law, checks and balances and respect for reasoned dissent, who oppose war (especially when it is not declared by Congress) and extrajudicial killings on the high seas, or who oppose the decline in number and influence of experts more devoted to public service than to any individual really need to vote!

You are creative!

Do you regard yourself as creative?  You should: we all are.  Just look at your dreams - which can be seen as plays containing messages from your subconscious to your conscious self.

If you are at least sometimes conscious of dreaming, to see more clearly the creativity within you in action, try to remember your dreams.  If you have trouble remembering your dreams, just tell yourself, as you are drifting off to sleep, "Let me remember my dreams."  Repeat as needed.  

If you are not conscious of dreaming at all, try this: as you are drifting off to sleep, relax and tell yourself, "Let me dream tonight, and let me remember my dreams." Repeat as needed.

It helps to write down at least key parts of your dreams.  Save your notes.  Honor your dreams - even nightmares, which are trying to tell you something.  Honor yourself, including your subconscious self, that vast library of experiences, emotions, memories and intuitions all gradually accessible - and presented with astounding creativity - for your self care and your growth.

Two questions about Heaven

In Heaven as I imagine it, there is consciousness. Maybe the consciousness is shared.  Maybe we are absorbed into a unitary Holy Spirit.  But, if there is no consciousness after death, what's the difference between Heaven and ... nothing? 

Heaven as I imagine it includes consciousness and the experience, however brief, that everything is all right just the way it is. 

In millennia of imaginings of Heaven, it is a place where there is no need for effort to be joyful and at peace.  Are we - or have religious leaders for ages thought people are - so tired of activity, so averse to effort (particularly the effort to experience mattering, the experience of self-worth that comes from contribution to the lives of others) and so burdened by our responsibility in this life for our choices that such a Heaven is appealing?

 

 

A thought experiment about evolution

I recently listened to The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature, by Matt Ridley - a deep dive into genetics, including DNA as a natural, powerful, and unconscious force in human behavior. DNA, the "blueprint" of reproduction, is in every creature.  Our individual human DNA is - with countless genetic variations - set at conception.  It is our invisible, physical badge of humanity.  But human DNA is ever, if slowly, evolving.

Ridley’s impressively-researched book focuses, in part, on the genetic effects - the physical but subconscious effects - of millennia of human civilization, including a male tendency to compete in status and power. Within reason, competition is fun and wholesome, but it - and the fear of defeat - can produce injustice, intimidation, abuse of others, and a get-away-with-it erosion of personal responsibility. Again, though - DNA, the biological driver of life in general and species reproduction in particular, evolves. Human DNA evolves.

So here is a thought experiment: In what direction are my life choices, particularly the way I conduct myself as a parent, friend and citizen, likely to be nudging my DNA?

We can at least imagine steering the evolution of our own DNA by our behavior.  That is hypothetically important when we are of an age and desire to have children, either as father or mother.

But we need not have any children of our own to experience satisfaction in striving, by our life choices, figuratively to become - genes of respect, even love, for others; genes of contributing to others - to society.

Indeed, of much greater importance that our actual genes is the example of functioning adulthood and citizenship we give to others throughout our lives.  So, the more important part of this experiment is to ask: Am I trying by my example to support others I meet in their nudging, by their behavior, their DNA in the direction of vigor, gratitude, a positive outlook on life, openness, respect for self and others, and good citizenship - and away from laziness, depression, negativity, belligerence and entitlement?

September 6, 2026

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, "Once you can accept the Universe as being something expanding into an infinite nothing which is something, wearing stripes with plaid is easy."

I am skeptical that something which might be called a conscious being made the decision "Okay, NOW!" to push the button, so to speak, and set off the Big Bang.

Fast forward billions of years and there are now, we are told, so many galaxies that, if each was the size of a cheerio, they would fill over a hundred Olympic swimming pools.[*]

It has not been given to me to believe that one Creator — of just Life on Earth, let alone of the entire Universe – keeps track of all life here, let alone determines everything that happens here and every act of every human being.

I think the Creator, however named, gave each of us physical and spiritual life and intelligence, and enough holiness, love and courage, to do our respective parts in the stewardship of Life on earth. As daunting as that responsibility may be, we can each do our best to seek, and to do, what love calls us to do moment to moment.

* See “Epic Spaceman” https://youtu.be/7J_Ugp8ZB4E?is=P1O4Fh9_5o-KpT5c

 

Life and holiness and awareness unfolding

Paying close attention to Life is like living with a snake in the room – and that is a good thing.  More on that in a minute.

Let us try to imagine the scope of the accomplishments resulting from the lives of our fellow human beings, past and present and beyond.

This exercise came to me recently as a guest aboard the USCG Cutter Eagle – “America’s Tall Ship” – as it entered the port of New London, Connecticut, home of the United States Coast Guard Academy. The ninety-year-old ship is a complex and spectacular training vessel for Coast Guard officers.  Having no responsibility other than staying out of the way of the officers and crew, I had plenty of time to observe, to marvel, and to imagine.

Starting with where I was standing, on the deck about two stories above the water line: the Eagle is 90 meters long, 12 meters across (beam), 5.3 meters below water when fully loaded, with 3 masts averaging 43.3 meters and over 2000 square meters of sail area, and I cannot guess how much rope! Turning to its human history, I tried to imagine all the people who, over nine decades under two once-warring governments, designed it – every rivet, plank, mast and pulley – constructed it, and have updated it to keep it seaworthy and secure; all the officers, crew, and trainees on board that day and who have ever sailed it – saluted, climbed, pulled rope, cooked, dined, slept, flirted, steered and kept watch on it.  Then I tried to imagine the places Eagle has been and the conditions it has weathered around the world, in port and at sea, that calm, temperate day off New London being just one point on the very long lines of time and place.

I let my imagination go – and you can easily do this with me: first, imagine zooming out from a few hundred people on a ship to the spirits of the tens of thousands of people who have sailed it; then to encompass all the people in all the buildings – factories, schools, homes - and vehicles we could see from the deck of the ship moving upriver between two cities, people going about their lives; then on beyond those horizons to all of humanity around the world – that day, then going back for 90 years and beyond; then going into the future 90 years and beyond, people – our relatives - building ships, bridges, buildings, roads, vehicles and countless other things in teams, building families, building relationships, sharing joys and miracles, including each birth and all of Nature, and helping each other in times of loss, of natural and man-made disasters, including wars.

Is it possible not to experience a wonder, a holiness, a Holy Spirit at work in every moment of Life?

Now - back to the snake.  “You can give your whole attention only when you care, which means that you really love to understand – then you give your whole heart and mind to find out.  Such awareness is like living with a snake in the room; you watch its every movement, you are very, very sensitive to the slightest sound it makes.  Such a state of attention is total energy; in such awareness the totality of yourself is revealed in an instant.” Freedom from the Known, by Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986), p. 32.

Thanks, Mom!

I got one of my most important and memorable life lessons from my mother on Saturday, August 11, 1962, the day "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," by Neil Sedaka, hit No.1 on the American "Billboard Hot 100."  I was 13 years old.  I was alone, listening on the radio - as I often did - to the countdown of popular songs in my room at our home in Mount Carmel, Connecticut, USA. I loved that song.  I was thrilled that it was Number One in the nation.  

After listening to the song all the way through, I rushed downstairs to share my joy.  I found my mother in the kitchen.  As I recall, she was calmly moving toward my approach - doubtless alerted by the sound of my clomping feet - wiping her hands on a dish towel.

"Screeching" to a halt in front of her, I yelled, "Mom! Mom! My favorite song just hit Number One!  That means I have good taste!!"

Looking me in the eye calmly and lovingly, she asked, "It does?"

That's the moment I learned that liking what's popular just means I have average taste.  Whether it's good or bad is just an opinion.  

I still love that song, and I still love a lot of popular music - and other things and activities that are popular.  I like things and activities because I love how they make me feel. But how I choose to fit which things I love into my life - whether and how acting on my love for what I love serves me - is personal, experiential - and important.

 

Heaven: a thought experiment

A dear friend of mine believes that, because I have not accepted Jesus as my Savior, he will not see me in Heaven. His belief makes him sad. To him, apparently, whatever Heaven is - a place, a state, a community, an experience? - those who get there do so only after death and by virtue of having believed certain things during life.

I accept that my friend's beliefs are right and true for him. And if, after I die, some disembodied spirit with my identity discovers that there is a Heaven and that I am disqualified from it, so be it: my post-death identity may have no memory of having striven to live up to my blessings in this life, but I am at peace, now, with doing the best I can see to do to be a good person.

Also, my friend's beliefs about Heaven are not the only rational beliefs on the subject. About what happens after death, most of the people on this planet have different beliefs - to which they are as entitled as my friend is to his. Facts are facts, but I think beliefs are an individual matter which should be judged, if at all, by how well they serve the living soul who holds them, and perhaps, too, by how well they serve the believer's community.

So I suggest a thought experiment.  

Suppose the Gospel of Thomas (one of the "Gnostic Gospels" discovered in Egypt in 1945) is correct that Jesus said, "the kingdom of the father is spread out upon the earth, and people do not see it."*  

Suppose "the kingdom of the father" is Heaven, or as close to synonymous as most of us can grasp or imagine.

Suppose we humans in fact do not see Heaven - the kingdom of God - because we cannot: it is within us, each of us, individually.** I cannot see it within myself or within you.  You cannot see it within yourself or within me.

Suppose next that seeing is not the only way to prove that something exists.

Suppose that experiencing something exists is - for the one having the experience - a completely sufficient proof that that thing exists, even if it is impossible to create that experience in another person so as to give them that proof. 

Now imagine the experience of Heaven; of being in Heaven, whether it is a place, a state, a community, or simply an experience.  Your imagination will be as good at this task as anyone else's.  Indeed, out of the billions of people on this planet, how could your imagination of the experience of heaven - change as it may over time - NOT be the one and only conception of Heaven that is most relevant to your life and choices?  

That's the end of the thought experiment: your own imagining - the best you can do - of the experience of Heaven.  I hope it is for you a most wonderful experience - particularly because it may include wonderful things, even unconscious memories, which are unique to your life experience and indescribable to others.

In case my imagining of Heaven may resonate with yours, I will share it: to me, Heaven is the experience that everything - all that I know and all that I do not know - is all right just the way it is.  I do not expect to have that experience except occasionally, briefly, in this life.  Nor do I expect to have that experience much more often, let alone constantly, after I die - wherever or whatever Heaven turns out actually to be!  But I strive to live - particularly to pay attention to Life - so as to have, to savor, and to be grateful for more and more of the experience that everything is all right just the way it is. Love is always present at such moments. And such moments can include experiencing Heaven in others - whether or not, at any given moment, they experience its presence within themselves.

* Gospel of Thomas, saying number 113. 

** See New Testament, Gospel of Luke, Ch. 17, verse 21: "the Kingdom of God is within you."