Show, not tell, our veterans we are grateful

The Valley and Alaska are home for a lot of soldiers, many with multiple active duty tours of service to the credit.

Some have obvious scars, missing limbs or shoulders that sag under the added weight of war they now carry.

Many soldiers carry less obvious wounds of war — the kind dragged to the fore from the dark recesses of their minds by the festive whizz and pop of New Year’s pyrotechnics.

These soldiers are our fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, friends — the guys who help us plow snow and deliver dry firewood just in time for Christmas. They are our local, homegrown heroes.

We do the easy things. We salute the flag, we attend Veterans Day ceremonies to pay our respects — all to say thank you for their service.

But there is more we can do. In the season of new beginnings, we encourage our Valley neighbors to look more closely for ways we can show our gratitude to the families that remain behind and to the soldiers who have come home to us.

There are organized local efforts to provide services to military families such as snow plowing and lawn care. That’s a great way to show, not tell, our local heroes we really do care, we really are grateful.

In Alaska, our dark winters make New Year’s the preferred holiday for fireworks. But as our Front and Center columnist Dan Grota reminds, those same explosions of light and color that may thrill civilians are a unique brand of torment for some soldiers who have seen combat.

There’s no way to know which of our neighbors struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their military service.

But know that for many of these men and women the clap of ordnance recalls for them the concussion of incoming rounds intended to kill, to maim them.

So we add our voice to Grota’s here and join him in suggesting another way we can be respectful of our veterans, especially on New Year’s.

Instead of staging your own neighborhood pyrotechnic extravaganza, consider attending the community fireworks display in Wasilla Monday night.

Enjoyed safely — and respectfully — fireworks are a brilliant addition to this cold, dark time of year. But without respect and safety in the equation, fireworks can injure people, frighten pets, damage property and torment our veterans.

City of Wasilla New Year’s Eve Fireworks display is at 8 p.m., Dec. 31 at Wonderland Park. For more information, contact 376-1299 or visit wasillachamber.org.