“It is sufficient to desire courage and trust that God will give it to us at the necessary time.” - St. Francis de Sales

The TSA agent was unusually squared away: physically fit, hair cut high and tight, carrying himself with poise. He scanned my boarding pass, examined my Army ID, and studied my face for a moment…Returning the documents, he said, "Thank you for your service, sir."

But I paused, noticing the impressive coin he was methodically manipulating between the fingers of his left hand. “Is that a challenge coin?” I asked.

“Yes, sir.” He handed it to me.

It was extraordinary, ornate, and the largest I have seen. I noticed its architecture was dominated by an articulated Green Beret with the Special Forces flash (flash at right).

“Very impressive, and thank you for your service, brother,” I said and handed him the coin.

"Thank you, sir, and safe travels." We nodded and returned to our preoccupations.

It was a short exchange, but we had saluted tradition and recognized a mutual bond grounded in service. It confirmed my thought that at our best veterans serve as memory holders for many of America’s sustaining values. While not all values benefit the common good, those of the Armed Services herald virtues that do just that.

Veterans put a human face on spiritual values, like Honor, Courage, and Commitment, championed by the US Navy and Marine Corps. But while servicemen and servicewomen can espouse values, such ideals are explicit challenges to a perfection only achieved imperfectly by imperfect people. Thus, more senior officers or non-commissioned officers informally award challenge coins, such as the one described (or at left), to warriors who rise to the “challenge.” The coin’s design is a conduit for the unit’s “culture,” heritage, and values.

Now, not all values rise to the level of virtue, but values sanctified in blood and suffering born of self-gift always do. And veterans bear that cost in one way or another. Unfortunately, statistics tell us that many are pummeled by the burden. This is my experience and that of the veterans closest to me.

One in three veterans are arrested in their lifetime. This is consistent with data showing that somewhere between 37-50% of those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq were diagnosed with mental illness, one in ten with a substance use disorder, and one in four with PTSD. Meanwhile, veteran suicides increased 12% since 2020.

Pause here… look at the time.

During the hour in which you read this, one veteran (maybe two) will suicide. Soul and mind woundedness blind and deafen these men and women to their own worth and to life-giving alternatives.

Yet those on the margins can recover their sense of self and act out of long-cherished values with surprising agility and vitality.

Homeless veteran, Navy Corpsman Travis Wilson, had been arrested multiple times. On October 19, 2017, he was seeking housing through Operation Sacred Trust in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Nearby, two cars collided violently. Wilson did not hesitate. He “sprinted” to the wreck, reached into one of the crumpled vehicles, and rendered lifesaving first aid to the driver…

Lauded by municipal authorities for his unhesitating action and placing himself at potential risk, Wilson was taken aback. His response was poignant… "I've had a speckled past that I brought on myself and it's not like people are always in line wanting to say ‘Hey, we want you. We recognize that you're a good person.’"

Yet, if any Sailor has ever run toward the fight and acted with Honor, Courage, and Commitment, Hospital Mate Travis Wilson, though imperfect, certainly did so.

Recall St. Paul’s words…“Do you not know that those who run in the stadium all run, but there is one who takes the victory? Run in this way so that you may obtain” (1 Corinthians 9.24). In a society and world that seems careless of values and unconscious of virtue, veterans can remind us that no value is enlivened by grace until it is lived for others in the crucible of the arena.

Consider this… As you go into the arena, can you name the values that will characterize your discipleship?