On Nov. 11, nations around the world take a moment of silence to honor the sacrifices of those who served. Emily Beers talks to three men who fought for their countries.
For veteran Richard Sanders, the Nov. 11 moment of silence is “a double-edged sword.”
“It’s good to know that we’re honoring their lives, raising awareness,” he said of fallen soldiers and current members of the military.
But on the flip side, there is the belief that veterans aren’t always cared for properly, and there are painful memories.
“November as a whole is rough and bumpy. One of my closest friends, my mentor, was killed in action in November. I wear him on a bracelet around my wrist,” said Sanders.
Ideally what Sanders would like to see is for more people to be like Greg Killian and Amy Yuschak of CrossFit Killfit in New Jersey. They offer free memberships to anyone who was deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. Killian decided to act after he saw a Wounded Warriors commercial on TV.
“I wanted to donate but funds are low. So I thought, ‘How can I give back to these guys and girls who are willing to sacrifice life and limb for our freedom?’ Then I thought, ‘I can’t donate money, but I can give my time, energy and expertise,’” Killian said of his decision to provide free memberships to war veterans.
Currently, Killian has eight veterans taking advantage of his offer, and Sanders is one of them.