PHOENIX — With Veterans Day this Saturday, we thought it was important to sit down and have a conversation with a group of Arizona veterans coming from different eras, different branches, and different backgrounds -- but all sharing the same love for America.
Richard "Dick" Toliver, Stacey Lang, and Brandon Smith may have never met, and yet, they share an extremely special bond that's undeniable -- all three are veterans, living here in Arizona, and although they're no longer serving, their commitment to country is always with them.
What does it mean to be a veteran?
"It's something I am very proud of," says Smith about being a veteran. "I'm proud to have been part of the Marine Corps. I am proud to have served my country and it's just been a good experience and it meant a lot to me."
"It's a sense of pride," adds Lang. "Less than 10% of the population serves in the military...it's all volunteer, and we all made that choice to join and do what we had to do and what we were assigned to do."
Toliver, who just turned 85 years old, remembers the end of WWII and early interactions with soldiers that have stayed with him to this day.
"I grew up during a time seeing soldiers, sailors all over the place, people working together and living together," Toliver explains. "Patriotism was in the air everywhere...The troop trains would pass [the school] and the principal would let us go out and wave at the soldiers going to the ports. We'd look at the trains and the flatbeds with the tanks and the soldiers would have their arms out of the window, close enough to see them crying. We'd cry. They'd cry. And we'd sing our patriot songs to them."
What's the number one issue impacting veterans?
Although there is a lot of pride among this group, there is also acknowledgment that more can be done for veterans across the country.
"Right now, it's access to healthcare," explains Lang. "What we are looking at now is the greatest population, they are all aging, and they are dealing with special health issues. And you start adding in the unknowns with Agent Orange - now they're linking diabetes high blood pressure to Agent Orange and now that they're recognizing that, we have more and more veterans needing help and assistance and the VA is just overwhelmed."
Toliver adds that there needs to be just as much focus on veterans' mental health as their physical health.
"Right at the top is PTSD. It's a horrendous, vicious illness that even I suffered from early on and had to fight through and still suffer effects of it...There are severe needs physically, emotionally, spiritually, that are not necessarily being cared for."
Smith says he'd like to see less roadblocks for veterans trying to access the VA system.
"I'd like to see easier access for veterans, not long wait times going to the VA," Smith tells ABC15's Nick Ciletti. "I know a lot of veterans need to go through private insurance sometimes because wait times at the VA can be months out from their appointment, especially when there is mental healthcare is a crisis."
The Veterans Choice Program or VCP allows vets to see private physicians under certain circumstances. To find out if you qualify, click here.
There are also new protections from the PACT Act for military members who worked around burn pits. To learn more about PACT Act benefits, click here.
Challenges during service
All three veterans encountered different challenges during their time of service, but say their love for their country was steadfast, even through hardships.
Toliver's 26 years in the Air Force took off at the same time racial tensions in our country reached a boiling point.
As an African American pilot, Toliver remembers instances of harassment and racism being stationed in the Deep South.
"It was very, very difficult," Toliver explains. "Those were some of the darkest times of my life. Not only was it difficult for me, it was difficult for me to bring my family into that environment - it was a constant extra load - my desire was never diminished."
For Lang, her service in the Navy began in the late 1980s, which was, at times, a difficult period for women in the armed services. At the time, there weren't nearly as many protections from harassment as we see today.
"I was right there in the middle of it all," Lang says. "I had been called some pretty nasty things when I was active duty and it was just shrugged off...So I have seen that whole evolution to now what it is. That's a big change."
Smith began serving in the Marines in 2007, three years before 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' was repealed, which banned LGBTQ+ servicemembers like Smith from being open about who they are.
"It was definitely a lot of inner turmoil and some conflict," Smith explains.
"I would imagine that maybe there is part of you that says - wait a minute - I am still serving my country. I am doing a lot more for my country than some other people and just because I'm gay that would disqualify me from this?" Ciletti asked.
"That certainly was a thought that I lived with and I felt that," Smith said. "But being gay is part of who I am - it's not my whole personality and I am also an American, so I had to kind of find that median within myself."
But despite these challenges, all three of these veterans are undeniably patriotic; they're proud of their service and proud of the progress our country has made. As you can imagine, the American flag holds special meaning to them.
"I am proud," says Smith. "America certainly has its issues - no country is perfect - but I still think we are the best country in the world and I am grateful to be an America."
For Lang, the flag is a symbol of the shoulders she stands on.
"It represents everyone who went before me and served and defended, whether they chose to or were drafted, it's just a symbol of everybody who chose to put their lives and everything on the line to defend this country and keep us safe and secure."
For Toliver, it's a constant, unflappable, unwavering reminder of what our country stands for.
"It's a sense of pride," says Toliver. "My heart fills over. I've been looking at that flag all my life. I'm 85 years old. I started saluting it when I was about six. I love the flag. I love the flag now. I've seen that flag on the coffins of so many. And it hurts me. We had a flag the other day folded up. It's still in my life. I'm saluting the flag every day. When I see it along the freeway, I see it waving, it means so much that I am in a country that I fought for. And I live free."
