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Theta Chi's fraternity blog, The National Eagle, has a story this week about one of their members who recently died in a roadside bomb attack in Afganistan. Major Jeffrey Calero, 34, was a member of Theta Chi from Rensselaer Polytechnic where he studied engineering. He was also a Green Beret.
That's Major Calero in the picture. He was promoted to the position of Major posthumously. He had turned down promotions twice because he wanted to stay with his unit. He was born in Puerto Rico and was raised in Queens, NY. He died in a town called Kajaki in Southern Afganistan.
I want to take a moment on this blog and thank Theta Chi for posting this kind of story. It really surprises me how little the average citizen thinks about the men and women serving in hostile territories overseas – especially this time of year as we bounce between Christmas parties and door-buster sales at the mall.
I have a few fraternity brothers currently serving. The two closest to me, Bret and Michael, are serving in non-military capacities as contractors on special assignment. Bret was a student who I advised some 18 years ago, and he is helping the Afgani government set up their public defender system. Michael is one of my favorite people on the planet – the sweetest Marine I know. He is doing something more covert and spy-like, and he's much closer to the dangerous action. I worry about both of them frequently.
We're five years into this military action in Iraq and Afganistan. As of my writing, we have lost 3,876 military personnel. This number does not include contractors like Bret and Michael, or the thousands of citizens of those countries who have died.
Every time I see a story like the one on Theta Chi's blog, or in my local newspaper about a veteran in rehab from injuries sustained in a bomb attack, I realize that the impact on our society is going to be huge for decades. Recent stories about homelessness have indicated that more than 400 veterans from Afganistan and Iraq are already among the homeless in our country, and we face a crisis of homeless and mentally ill veterans in the decades to come. It's important that we all begin the work now of helping the men and women who answered this call – regardless of how we personally feel about the politics that sent them there.
This holiday season, I urge you to do SOMETHING to honor those serving. Make a gift to a local veterans charity. Call your fraternity headquarters and get a list of brothers or sisters serving in Iraq or Afganistan and send them something to let them know you care. Organize a volunteer effort that gets students from your campus interacting with disabled vets getting care at your local V.A. hospital.
Get active on some of the issues facing veterans. If you need a place to start, click here to learn about the biggest issues facing vets.
Is your campus prepared for the veterans who are coming back? Are there mental health services specifically for students who are vets? How accessible are your residence halls for vets with disabilities? Is there a student organization on your campus for students who are vets? Has your student affairs staff ever spent an hour or two discussing how to serve these special students?
Operation Homefront is one of my favorite organizations helping veterans families. Think about making a contribution. I'm also a fan of the National Military Families Association which recently ranked as one of the top four veterans charities by Charity Watch.
It's our moral responsibility to take care of our veterans. Whether it's remembering them, assisting them, or lobbying for them, taking care of them is our greatest patriotic obligation and honor.
