AFVOA Newletters of Year 2008

Page 19 of 56 the setting sun. The present generation of vet erans , however, are more intertwined with the peopl e and have willy-nilly woven themselves into the warps and wefts of soci ety. They are keenly aware of the complex soci et al rel ationship and int erpl ay between poli t ici ans , bureaucracy, medi a, judi ci ary and the Armed Forces. Moreover , the present day veteran wishes to move forward in l ife and holds no great respect for st atus quo per se. He beli eves that the quo is fast losing its st atus . Thus , the Vet eran of today, well experi enced, knowl edgeabl e and forward looking in many ways, seeks out opportuniti es not only to make himself useful to soci ety but also to exert an influence to br ing about healthy changes . And wherever he sees a need to come out into the open to influence change he is ready to raise his voi ce and lend hi s strength to set right the soci et al imbal ances. We see a mani fest ation of this now a days on frequent medi a discussions featuring vet erans on how best to make the Armed Forces rise to the new chall enges that we are l ikely to face in the decades to come. This br ings us to the point of bringing our Armed Forces closer to soci ety. Vet erans have an import ant rol e to play in this. We have seen and experi enced how some of the det ails of the activiti es and achievements of the armed forces hardly reach the eyes and ears of the common man. The good citi zens of our count ry are aware of our sacri fi ces but our martyrs and heroes are s trangers to them. All of us have met many a man or woman who has expressed regret about not having been fortunate enough to wear our uniform. They would like to be closer to us and be on our side; but they find no way. There seems to be an invisibl e curt ain of fog sur rounding us . This curt ain has actually been to our det riment and has to be li ft ed. We are part of soci ety and therefore we have to seem to be its part . On thi s theme the suggestion regarding the need for a Sainik Samachar TV channel is one whi ch comes up oft en and could be considered with increasing urgency. For sure such a channel has to be run by the serving frat ernity but the vet erans have a role in pushing for i ts est ablishment. Further, with a closer awareness of the pulses of society vet erans could provide wholesome and necessary input s. But closer home we have an even more engrossing and enthralling activity to undert ake; that of Motivat ion and Capsule Guidance that we have to undert ake in schools and coll eges . That i s one of the primary purposes of our associ ation and one activity in which many of our members had deeply involved themselves in the past. Many more vet erans are keen to involve themselves and would like to associ at e themselves with those al ready involved. Many would like to open newer vi stas by calling on schools and coll eges in their vi cinity hithertofore untouched by our message. So what i s the s tart ing point? Elsewhere in this Newsl ett er there is a simpl e draft of a let t er that could be copi ed or down loaded. This, or a similar lett er could be prepared by int erested vet erans. Your Geographical Core Group Leader or Fri end in Need i s just a phone call away. Di scuss the matt er with him or her. Give a br ief idea of how you would like to build your capsule to be delivered and to whom and ask for det ails about veterans with simil ar zeal. Get together, decide your scheme, and go forth and t ell the next generat ion about why our nation needs Armed Forces, what glory we have achieved so far, how we are organized to ful fill our dut ies to the nat ion and why they should consider joining us as the primary aim of thei r adul t li fe. Always choose inst itutions closer to where you reside. Not only will it be eas ier for you logisti cally but it will al so enhance your credibility as the