Want to thank veterans? Here’s a holiday wish list

I really appreciate the free meals and other discounts offered each year on Veterans Day. More than once during my 10 years on active duty when I went to lunch in uniform I waited and waited for the check, only to find out an anonymous stranger had picked up the tab.

I was also thankful to come home from Iraq to a warm and welcoming crowd. The military is the most trusted institution in the U.S. government, and popular support helps keep morale high among service members.

If Americans really want to “support the troops” then here is a veterans’ Christmas list:

▪ Legalize cannabis.

The medical data is solid and well-established that cannabis is not addictive nor is it a gateway drug. In fact, cannabis can be an exit drug, because it can replace an entire host of other substances used to treat chronic pain without debilitating side effects. Cannabis is also fast acting, which can save lives. If a veteran who might be thinking about taking his life had access to cannabis, the immediate relief can stop them from reaching for a gun.

▪ Improve veterans’ health care.

Apple is working on a project to automate veterans’ health records, which would allow for faster access leading to better care. Kentucky should establish a public-private partnership with technology companies like Apple to help facilitate the creation of easily accessible electronic health records. No service veteran should have to wait six months just to get their medical records.

▪ Think about the big picture.

The United States has been fighting in a series of conflicts continuously for almost 18 years now. Those who planned and carried out the 9/11 attacks are either dead or in prison, and that is a credit to the efforts of our military. The biggest gift to veterans would be to stop creating more of us, and we can only do that by ending our involvement in conflicts like Yemen and Syria.

The recent announcement of the Trump administration’s withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Syria could be an important first step. Our military has been slowly transformed into a permanent expeditionary force rather that a national defense apparatus; and the human costs continue to mount both here and abroad.

No one wants peace on earth and good will towards men more than veterans. We know that fighting to defend our nation is dangerous work, and sometimes facing that danger is necessary. But our founders were wise to advise posterity to avoid foreign entanglements and going abroad in search of monsters to destroy, because foreign powers are often only too happy to use American blood and treasure to achieve their own selfish agendas.

I spent Christmas 2006 in Iraq, and I know those who are deployed this holiday season are thinking about their loved ones. It’s time for America to think about them and to start bringing them home.