Thank you, Veterans. Those who have never served don't fully comprehend the sacrifices made to serve our country in the armed services. But it is crucial to try to understand! They deserve that much. I tried to get a more accurate account, but it's unavailable. "As of 30 September 2023, there are approximately 85,000 veterans in the state of Montana. Of the 85,000 veterans, approximately 75,800 veterans are male, and 9,200 are female. More than 89% of the veterans in the state of Montana are males. There are approximately 39,600 veterans in the state of Montana who are 65 years of age or older. That translates to roughly 47% of Montana veterans over 65. Roughly 32,800 veterans are between the ages of 40 and 64 years old. That means only 12,600 Montana veterans are under the age of 40, roughly 15%." (National Center for Veteran Analysis and Statistics).
There were 5,767 caseloads, which represent the number of veterans who sought assistance, in FY 2023. In FY 2024, this number increased to 5,899, indicating a growing need for support and services for our veterans.
Eryn Skoyen, the daughter of Rick and Brenda Darlington, told me she needed to figure out how to pay for college, so "I joined the (Army) National Guard first. I like the ROTC program they had at Washington State, which piqued my interest. And then, after 911, I felt like it was a sense of duty that needed to be filled, and I never looked back. I enjoyed my time in the service."
Eryn started as a chemical operations specialist. It's called a 74 Delta. "Chemical operations would be involved if we had some sort of chemical attack. Our battalion was a reconnaissance team, so they went out and tested chemical detection. If a chemical was found, they could do recon. A third operation was a surveillance unit. This training was while she was with the National Guard unit. We drilled out of Yakima.
When we deployed to Iraq from 05 to 06, I transitioned to active duty. We deployed as military police, so we underwent a retraining process to become proficient in military police duties, and that's what we did when we were over there.
Eryn went on to say, "The military is such a love, hate relationship, but you build lifelong friendships through it. You figure out how physically and mentally tough you are. It would be a great experience for anybody from any background. You meet many different people from many different backgrounds, and I think it's a good experience for anyone who's kind of not sure what they want to do. The military is a good family to fall into, and people take care of and look out for you."
"For me, Veterans Day is a day to reflect on the freedoms that we do have here in the United States. I think serving in a
foreign country was a good thing for me, in particular, because it made me appreciate the freedoms we have more here in the United States. It's time to reflect on the people who have gone before us and fought for our freedoms today. I also remember the people we lost along the way. For me, Veterans Day is always kind of a mixed bag of emotions, you know, because many good memories come up. But then you also think about the people you've lost, not necessarily at war either. But since you've come home right, a loss to battles of mental health or chemical dependency, just that sort of thing. We've made many strides, but we still have a long way to go. When I was in college, I worked at a Veterans Service Office center, helping veterans get signed up for the programs that they were eligible for, including disability, going to college, and just finding the resources that were out there. So I think we've made a lot of strides in that regard, but we could always do better."
Let's all do better to understand our veterans and continue to support them, as they have supported us.
