Never served. When I was in my teens I wanted to enlist in the Coast Guard but I doubt I would have qualified – I’m blind in my right eye. I also have a GED which would have put me at a disadvantage. Instead I went into health care, becoming a hospice worker, mostly for VA clients. I heard some wild stories from them, mostly WWII vets. One of my clients lived in a little converted barn in the country, in the middle of nowhere. A cabin, almost. He had a silver star framed and hanging on the wall above his fireplace. I never asked him about it but I would have loved to hear about how he earned that.
I live in a very red county and lot of people have bought into the “rah rah, support our troops / veterans!” bullshit that exploded after 9/11. Yes, support them. Support them by volunteering at the local VA. Support them by voting for people who actually support veteran causes and programs, especially VA healthcare programs. Support them by championing for programs that provide veteran benefits like homebuying programs, military credit for retirement programs, discounts on vehicle registration or insurance, and similar state-level perks. Supporting our veterans is not putting a yellow ribbon sticker and a “let’s go Brandon” flag on the back of your coal-rolling truck and calling it good. I don’t know if spending 14 years caring for dying vets counts as support, but I hope I did my bit.