I Kissed a Veteran and Liked It...

Maj Alea Nadeem and VA Secretary Robert Wilkie at The Nation: Served: Wreath Laying Tribute to the States and Territories, 8 November 2018

I Kissed a Veteran and Liked It…

I walked into a room full of World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam Veterans from a Southern Colorado Honor Flight that came to D.C. I was asked to speak about my experiences growing up in Iraq and how I came to join the U.S. military.

I was intimidated because of the generational gap, an all male veteran ensemble – except one female, and what is a Major in the Air Force going to tell this group of veterans? They faced war when it was at its rawest and I’ve faced war from a deployment in front of a computer. To make matters worse the Veteran I was seated next to said typically for Honor Flight speakers they bring in Senators or public officials. I didn’t say it out loud, but in my head I thought, no sir you get a Major tonight.

I made it through my speech and a few veterans came up to me after to tell me their stories of how and why they ended up in the military. I realized I relate to these Veterans better than anyone else. The generation gap, the majority male audience qualms vanished. Sitting in a room with a male dominated venue I never felt more comfortable than at that moment because all things were relative as fellow Americans.

We are living in a time where polarization is rampant, but one place I would argue that has been shielded is the military. It’s the one place, where I as an American of Arab ethnicity can walk into a room and men and women from all ethnicities, races, and backgrounds are my brothers and sisters. It’s a bond that beats all discrimination.

My journey in the military has been wonderful because of all the champions, mentors, and leaders who have helped me—and they come from every background you can image. At times I’ve fallen into the fallacy that if someone does not look like me or has the same background as me they don’t understand me or they won’t help me—how wrong I have been.

When I got back to my seat the same Veteran who said, they usually have Senators or public officials speak, profusely apologized. We had a good laugh and he asked if he could give a Major in the Air Force a kiss on the cheek.

To the veterans who came before me, thank you for paving the way and allowing this country to relish in freedom and opportunities. To my veteran peers, we have to continue paving the way for our future military. To all the veterans, past, present and future we will always be connected and have a bond that will transcend the test of time. I hope we can be the example for America of what happens when all walks of life come together for a common reason – Freedom.

Happy Veterans Day!
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of RallyPoint, the Air Force or any agency of the U.S. government.