Onondaga County is launching “Operation Green Light” this week as a way to show that veterans are seen, appreciated and supported in communities across New York. Several counties are encouraging residents to show support to vets this week, by changing one light bulb in their house to a green one, and one central New York veterans advocate believes it’s more important to do something like this now than ever.
Syracuse University Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie is also the founder of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families on campus. He remembers hearing a Vietnam-era vet speaking at a conference, telling a story of what it was like coming home from war. He said he was spit on and screamed at. Yet he said he had it better than vets coming home now.
"Because while I wasn’t treated well when I came home, at least the country was paying attention,” Haynie said the man added.
Haynie said that’s the consequence of an all-volunteer military, where less than 1% of the population serves, and most people don’t know anyone who is in the military. He said this has long ranging consequences evidenced by the recent 20-year war in Afghanistan.
“The challenge we have today, because of this all-volunteer model of service, is that we have disconnected the cost and consequences of the decision to go to war in the first place, from society broadly. That makes it easy to go to war. And also makes it very hard to stop. I think that’s also why these wars went on for 20 years."
Haynie said the green lights will offer a welcoming message to vets, that they are appreciated.
“A veteran sees a green light and says ‘in that house, in that apartment, whatever it is, is someone who is interested in knowing about me, understanding what my experience has been, and is willing to reach out and have a conversation.’”
In advance of Veterans Day on Thursday, the Onondaga County Courthouse, the Carnegie building, War Memorial and Everson Museum of Art will be illuminated green until November 13.
