I served in the military and I'm running for Congress. Here's what service means to me.

Veterans Day reminds us that service takes many forms. A few weeks ago, I rolled up my sleeve to give blood as part of the Big Ten “We Give Blood” Challenge, helping the University of Nebraska compete for a $1 million prize to support student and community health.

As I watched the bag slowly fill, I thought about another time and another place, 17 years ago in northern Iraq, serving as Executive Officer and Physician Assistant for a Shock Trauma Platoon and Forward Resuscitative Surgical Suite at a small combat outpost.

Every pint of blood we received meant another life could be saved. The stakes were different, but the purpose was the same. Service still mattered.

Here at home, the need is just as real. Our trauma centers and hospitals depend on donations to save lives every day.

When we give, we carry forward the same spirit that sustains service members on the front lines, the belief that one act can save another’s life. It's a small gesture with profound meaning, and it reflects a tradition that has always defined America at our best.

Veterans Day reminds us that service is not an individual act. It is a shared burden carried by families, communities, and a nation that stands behind them.

For those who have served, service is the long nights, the uncertain deployments, and the moments of courage that cannot be rehearsed. It is separation from loved ones, the weight of leadership, and the faith that no matter where you are sent, your family and your country stand with you. Because service, like the oath we take, does not end. It simply changes form.

That truth, that service never truly ends, is lived every day by those who dedicate their lives to something greater than themselves. It is seen in our military families, our first responders, our diplomats, our intelligence professionals, our teachers, and in every person who chooses a life of service.

My wife and I each served our country for three decades. Between us, we moved 25 times because our nation needed us elsewhere. Each move meant saying goodbye, starting over, and trusting that a new community would meet us at the door.

Soon after we moved into our new home, a neighbor left a warm rhubarb pie and a handwritten note on our porch to welcome us. No speeches. No spotlight. Just welcome. In that quiet kindness, I saw the same strength that sustains all who serve, the instinct to care for others before self.

Our founders understood the power of that bond. George Washington warned against division and partisanship. Abraham Lincoln urged us to act with malice toward none and charity for all. They knew that our strength has never come from uniformity, but from unity, from our ability to stand shoulder to shoulder even when we disagree. Division is not who we are. Service is.

Across this country, millions of veterans continue to serve long after they take off the uniform. They mentor young people. They volunteer in schools, clinics, and food banks. They teach, they heal, they build. Their service is not a chapter that ends. It is a way of life that calls all of us to something higher than ourselves.

This day is a chance to honor them with more than words. If you can, donate blood. Call a veteran and listen. Offer a ride to an appointment. Support a veteran-owned business. Volunteer with a local group that helps military families when a parent deploys or comes home.

And let us not forget those who carried our nation’s burdens but now carry their own on our streets.

Too many veterans return home to face homelessness, isolation, or untreated wounds that are not visible. They deserve more than gratitude. They deserve the same commitment they gave to us: a safe place to live, access to care, and a community that will not turn away. None of these acts will make headlines. All of them can change a life.

I offer these reflections with humility and gratitude. I have worn the uniform, and I have depended on others. I have seen courage in the field, and I have seen it in hospital corridors and neighborhood sidewalks. I have known the steadiness of a spouse who keeps faith during long nights, and the kindness of neighbors who show up without being asked. Service is the bridge that connects these moments. It binds family, community, and country into something stronger than any one of us alone.

In a time when our nation can feel divided, the example of our veterans points us back to who we are. We keep our word. We look out for one another. We choose courage over comfort and service over cynicism. That is the inheritance our veterans and their families have given us, and it is a charge to keep.

Let us honor them by living the values they embody, not only today, but every day. Service is not reserved for a few. It belongs to all of us. And when we live it, we remind the world — and ourselves — that we are still one people, still one family, still the United States.

Kishla Askins is a retired Naval officer, health care provider, and policymaker. She's seeking the Democratic nomination for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

https://omaha.com/opinion/column/article_a696d7f8-9b1a-4d96-88d2-739b75e8a64d.html