Listen to Veterans

So it’s Veterans Day weekend. There will be parades. And speeches by politicians. And news articles. A plethora of references that captures our collective attention once a year.

According to the US Census Bureau, in 2022 there were 16.2 million veterans in the U.S., and while that may feel like a large number, it represents 6.2% of the adult population, so the chances of you knowing a veteran, especially a female identifying one, are slim.

I’m Mary Jo (MJ) McConnell, a former Captain in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. I sing in the St. Ignatius choir alongside Navy veteran Luis Castillo Munoz. This sketch represents a 22 year old newly minted nurse returning to the B.O.Q. at Fort Sam Houston after 2 days in the field during boot camp, where I fired an M-16 in target practice, carried “wounded” in a stretcher under barbed wire and got lost in the woods with only a compass and a map to guide me. But I was never deployed in a combat zone, and I left the military with a skill that easily transitioned me to civilian life. Many others are not as fortunate. Since March of 2020, I have offered a free guided meditation workshop on Friday mornings, 10 am Pacific, via zoom to the veteran community. Please contact me if you are a veteran and would like to participate [email protected]. My meditation CD “A Voice for Healing” is a free download on my website www.maryjomcconnell.com and available to anyone, with a special selection written for nurses.

The platitude “thank you for your service” came into fashion following 9-11, however many veterans who experienced moral injury and/or PTS do not wish to be thanked for their role in the military. I offer an alternative: “I appreciate your service”. It is not by any means a proscribed choice, just one that I have adopted.

In the words of my veteran sister, Jenny Pacanowksi—what is the greatest thing you can do for a veteran? Listen to them. Thanks for your kind attention. 

Mary Jo (MJ) McConnell, parishioner

Sketch: Lt. McConnell, by Sharone Halevy