The day has moved around a bit since President Eisenhower first introduced what is now Veteran’s Day to the American public. After a couple date changes, Veteran’s Day is now celebrated on one of its “original” dates, November 11th, when President Ford signed Public Law 94-97 in 1978. According to Veterans Affairs, “[t]he restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.”

Love for country, service and sacrifice are certainly at the heart of military service and today’s NCoC discussion not only honors those who have served but asks them (and non-veterans alike) to participate in a conversation about the role of veterans in today’s society. We think you’ll be surprised about the diversity of personal stories and calls-to-action among this new generation of veterans.

The 2010 Civic Health Assessment found that veterans are more likely to be involved in their community than non-veterans. As shown in the chart above, veterans are more likely to vote, participate in one or more non-electoral political activities, work with neighbors to fix a community program, exchange favors with neighbors and participate in one or more groups.

Moreover, according to the NCoC 2010 report, “[r]ecent research shows that returning veterans want to serve their communities on the home front and that those who volunteer have easier transitions home than those who do not.” This finding is consistent with the anecdotes from on-the-ground veteran’s groups. Yet, veterans and non-veterans volunteer at similar rates. Thus, organizations and communities that find ways to increase volunteer opportunities for veterans may help these individuals transition easier to civilian life. In some cases, it’s the veterans who organize themselves to plug the gap where public and private sector programs don’t work perfectly.

Just as America is a diverse and culturally rich country, so too are our veterans. In this featured discussion, we’ll highlight two communities - wounded and disabled veterans and student veterans – both of whom are diverse among their own ranks and are finding unique ways to help each other succeed.

There are an estimated 23 million veterans (from all wars) as of August 2010, with 3.16 million receiving veteran’s benefits and roughly 40% over the age of 65. The number of veterans rated 100% disabled is close to 290,000. The Mission Continues, a St. Louis-based not-for-profit, works with disabled and wounded veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to help them integrate back into civilian life in a way that leverages their commitment to service and love of country.

NCoC’s 2009 HOOAH Award recipient and CEO of The Mission Continues, Eric Greitens writes about a Mission Continues Fellow, “Adam Burke was a typical All-American boy. In high school, he was captain of the football team and prom king. He went on to graduate summa cum laude from Colorado Tech University while serving in the Army National Guard…In 2009, Adam decided to start Veterans Farm, a program to help other disabled veterans reintegrate back into society through horticulture therapy. He spent 18 months donating his disability checks and running the program full-time as a volunteer.”

The new GI Bill helps veterans pay for the rising financial costs of a college degree, but student veterans have both visible and invisible wounds that make higher education a unique challenge. Student Veterans of America (SVA) is a grassroots organization whose mission is to ensure that student veterans are successful in their transition from combat to the classroom by developing community and programming, centralizing resources and advocating for student veterans at the state and national level.

Even though there are programs and opportunities to help veterans transition back home, there still exists a much-needed peer-to-peer support network that veterans have created on their own. SVA Deputy Executive Director Michael Dakduk writes about the commitment to service at home, “it is a reminder of the ideals learned in the military service; camaraderie, service before self, and a common desire to see their fellow veteran succeed. “

The Mission Continues and Student Veterans of America are just two of the many organizations created by a new generation of veterans. But what role can non-veterans play to support these efforts? And in what ways can veterans and non-veterans interact so that they can better understand each other’s perspectives and needs?

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Piece contributed by NCoC.net commentator Karlo Barrios Marcelo, CEO of Karlo Marcelo Consulting, LLC.