Jeffrey Blonder
Every year, on the 11th day of the 11th month, our nation stops to reflect on the heroic service and sacrifice of our veterans. It is a day of recognition and celebration of the men and women who fought for this country and its interests. Just two years since the end of America’s longest war, recommitting ourselves to the spirit of Veterans Day is particularly important. Americans are understandably weary from 20 years of war and eager to move past it — but that cannot be an option.
The veterans who gave up so much will never be able to forget. They won’t forget the months they were away from their families. They can’t remove the horrors of combat from their minds. They can’t overlook the injuries and illnesses that forever changed their lives as a result of their service. And so, we too must not forget — not just out of a sense of gratitude — because veterans and their families need us and our nation promised to be there for them.
If you’re unsure how to fulfill that sacred obligation to those who served, let veterans show you the way. Many of them continue to be servants long after they leave the military. Army National Guard veteran Kim Hubers is one such veteran.
Hubers deployed with the Guard’s 727th Transportation Company to the Middle East in early 2003, witnessing the kickoff of the Iraq War. She remembers oil fields ablaze and the devastating aftermath when another company’s truck was hit with an improvised explosive device.
The demanding combat environment put Hubers behind the wheel of a palletized load system for up to 18 hours a day for months on end. Years later, she was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, caused by a configuration in the driving seat that resulted in Hubers constantly jostling up and hitting her Kevlar helmet against the ceiling.
It’s not the only consequence of war Hubers has to live with. Her ailments are far-reaching and affect nearly every one of her organ systems. She has arthritis and bursitis throughout her joints; eight screws in her shoulders; crippling back pain; post-traumatic stress; and nerve issues affecting her digestion, heart rate and immune system.
These ailments ultimately ended Hubers’ dream of making military service a lifelong career. As she reentered the civilian world and worked to heal a mind and body battered by war, she faced a new fight. Because her ailments were mostly invisible, many dismissed them. When she tried to obtain the health-care benefits promised to her, she was repeatedly denied.
Then she discovered DAV (Disabled American Veterans). After seven years of denials, Owen Richards, a trained DAV benefits advocate, was able to secure the benefits Hubers earned and so desperately needed. Perhaps just as life-changing, DAV gave her a new mission.
As a department service officer, Hubers now serves as the eyes and ears for Richards when she’s out in the community. She tracks down veterans to assist with disability claims, volunteers her time and her personal farm to DAV for events and fundraisers, and serves as commander for her local DAV chapter. She also sits on DAV’s Interim Women Veterans Advisory Committee, which informs the national organization on the needs of women veterans. For all this and more, Hubers was named DAV’s 2023 Disabled American Veteran of the Year.
Hubers went above and beyond the call of duty. Despite extensive injury, illness and adversity, she has committed herself to continued service. She is an example to us all.
With chapters across every state, DAV offers numerous ways for veterans and civilians to serve. You can volunteer to drive veterans to and from medical appointments through the DAV Transportation Network or volunteer at your local VA medical center. At volunteerforveterans.org, DAV connects volunteers with veterans in need in their own communities.
So this Veterans Day, say thank you to those who served and to those who keep serving — and consider honoring them with action.
Jeffrey Blonder is the commander of the Lynn-Swampscott E.F. Gilmore Disabled American Veterans Chapter 64.
