By SPENSER R. HALEY
Veteran’s Life Advisory Board member 

The issue: For combat veterans, the financial, emotional and physical challenges faced during the transition to civilian life are tough. The solution: Continued access to base amenities.

As a nation, we owe a debt to the men and women of the Armed Services who stand bravely, proudly and often silently in the background.

As a combat veteran, I know that taking care of responsibilities and tasks that would be too grim or dangerous for the average citizen is all part of the oath to protect and defend.

I think it is time that something extra is done for these men and women, the few who have stepped forward and taken on the burden so that others don’t have to.

There hasn’t been enough done to thank our combat veterans for their selflessness. A small step in the right direction would be to grant them access to military installations once again, for the purpose of shopping at the commissary and the post or base exchange.

For a combat veteran, the financial, emotional and physical challenges faced during the transition into civilian life are tough. Being able to surround oneself with those that understand the same challenges would prove to relieve some of those pressures.

With base access, combat veterans would be able to be surrounded with the camaraderie and likemindedness that most come to miss — a camaraderie usually lost upon being discharged from duty, a like-mindedness that is shared through common experiences.

That camaraderie means more than ever immediately post-service; the Department of Veterans Affairs reports 22 veterans committed suicide every day in 2012, and that statistic is on the rise, according to recent studies.

Currently, only active-duty military, Reserve, National Guard and certain Department of Defense contractors and civilians are permitted access to military installations, as are Gold Star families (families of a military member killed while on active duty). That makes sense.

But in extending base access to combat veterans, the security of our installations shouldn’t be compromised. Drive up to the gate, a guard will verify credentials, and you’re on your way.

The task to add combat veterans to the short list of those allowed on base is an easy one, especially with the new VA ID cards President Obama signed into law in late July. Those of us who have sought benefits are issued an identification card from the Department of Veterans Affairs. These cards are outfitted with a barcode, which can contain correct and pertinent identifiers and can be scanned at the gate as easily as currently accepted ID cards.

Enough has been done and enough has been given to allow this small gesture of gratitude. Strength of character has already proven. The added security risk is minimal — no more a risk than Gold Star families.

Our combat veterans aren’t the only ones that will benefit socially and financially from access to base services. It makes good financial sense for our commissaries and exchanges too.

There are approximately 4.5 million combat veterans in the United States. Take just 250,000 of those veterans spending the low end of the national average in a month for groceries (family of four = $564) and that generates a staggering $146 million. At a time when DECA (Defense Commissary Agency) will have its funding cut by $1.4 billion over the next three years, the increased revenue would help soften the blow to our active duty service members. Optimistically, say half these veterans spend the same and it works out to roughly $1.1 billion, helping make the budget cut far less strenuous on those affected by it.

Only 1 percent of service members have been in combat: 1 percent. It is time that this small percentage of Americans are provided this smallest of recognitions for standing in the breach.

It is with honor I take up this cause. I will be doing my part by reaching out to our state officials through letters, emails, and phone calls, imploring them to stand up and recognize those who have stood for America. I challenge you to do the same. Let our unified voice be heard to thank these patriots, these silent guardians.

“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.”— Abraham Lincoln.

Spenser Haley
U.S. Army 2007-2010
OEF Veteran
Airborne!