Nineteen years ago, the American Veterans Center began hosting an annual conference to honor World War Two veterans. At the time, the event was small and quiet, attended by just a handful of people. Then the focus was on remembering past conflicts. Time and events, though, started to shift the event’s focus. As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continued, veterans’ needs shifted. Increasingly, soldiers were surviving the sorts of wounds which had killed men in previous wars. Thanks to modern medical treatment, these soldiers had survived, but faced long, grueling recoveries. From honoring soldiers of past wars, the conference shifted to also support those who fought in current wars.
Read Next
