A heartfelt salute to two amazing veterans
The guy typing this editorial gets paid for every single word.
Most of the people serving our country’s current and retired military members are also compensated.
Two men who are on the front lines of bringing attention to the challenges of veterans, of recognizing the valor that beats within their hearts, get paid nothing. Their reward is actually the purest kind: Closing their eyes each night knowing they’ve done something to make the world a little better place.
We’re speaking of Don Walker and Bryan Bledsoe, two veterans who, pardon the language, work their asses off for a noble cause. Tomorrow, Veterans Day, marks the third anniversary of Don and Bryan’s brainchild gracing the pages of this newspaper under the heading, The Veterans’ Press.
Excepting a brief period in the summer of 2020 when illness intervened, Don and Bryan have been meeting at The Press every single month. They bring a masterfully outlined portfolio of articles for the next issue of Veterans’ Press, and together with the editor prioritize which articles will be published, based on timeliness of the pieces and how much space is available.
Full disclosure: The meetings aren’t all business. Family stories are swapped. Updates on a trip to the Midwest or progress on a home remodeling project get covered. Over these last three years, the little team has evolved into more than partners in a cause. They’ve become friends.
Between meetings, Don and Bryan work constantly to curate and create content for both The Press and the Spokesman-Review. They seek neither compensation nor recognition. They simply continue to embody what they gave their country years ago and continue to give: SERVICE.
In this era of division that has stressed relationships and, in too many cases, actually ended them, Don Walker and Bryan Bledsoe are uniters. As Sholeh’s column in tomorrow’s paper will illuminate, taking care of our veterans shares broad red and blue support. An equal percentage of Republicans and Democrats believe our nation should do more for veterans, second in united support only to education.
While that unity translates largely to more funding for programs, it also comes down to very basics — foundational work like what’s being done by Don and Bryan, giving back to those who gave so much to the rest of us, often at tremendous cost.
Today we honor Don and Bryan and thank them for their selfless service. We also applaud the many advertisers who support The Veterans' Press.
The next two days’ newspapers will be packed with news and recognition for veterans, but we’d all do well to heed the child’s advice in today’s editorial cartoon. Let’s make every day Veterans Day — which is exactly what Don Walker and Bryan Bledsoe have been doing for years.