Over 250,000 American Veterans return to American civilian life every single year. They return to schools, work-places, communities, and families. They take on new roles in society such as teachers, employees, coaches, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers. However, their transition doesn’t end there. That’s where it just begins.
A recent campaign launched by Walmart, “Greenlight a Vet” is a project with the goal of giving recognition to those who deserve it. Some of the nation’s bravest and most hard-working men and women are American veterans. However, when they return home and are no longer dressed in uniform, they become more camouflaged than ever before, making it difficult to show them appreciation. The Greenlight a Vet Campaign urges citizens to change just one visible light, perhaps on a porch, to a green light as to show support and appreciation for our country’s veterans. The goal is to establish visible national support for those brave and selfless men and women.
So why green? Green is the color of hope, as well as renewal, energy, and well-being. Green light means go. And that’s what veterans are known for doing. Never-stopping, always active, always leaders. The term “greenlight” is often commonly used to activate forward social movement. Just changing one light, a simple action, is aimed at creating a national conversation in recognizing the importance of veterans in our country, as well as to “greenlight” them forward as extremely valued members of society. The simple action can bring recognition and awareness to veterans throughout our country. With over 500,000 green lights showing awareness throughout the country, it is vital that more take action– that more recognize our veterans, that more recognize their struggle to sometimes adjust back into civilian life.
There are a multitude of ways to show support of our veterans asides from changing a light to green. In fact, anybody can “greenlight a vet”. Hiring a veteran, volunteering or serving with veterans in your local community, starting a mentor relationship with returning veterans, or simply raising awareness on social media are effective ways of showing support and recognizing the important role of veterans in our society. I urge you to take action and make a difference today!