The prophet Isaiah says, ““In the days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountains and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Oh, house of Jacob, come let us walk in the light of the Lord!”  

Isaiah reminds us there will come a day when there will be no more veterans. Until that day let us honor those who were lost to war, those physically and mentally scarred by our wars, parents whose children are buried on foreign soil or in watery tombs, children who will grow up with a memorial for a father or mother, spouses who will raise them on their own, and for all innocent lives lost.  

Here are four things you can do to honor our veterans and work for peace:  

1. Say thank you to a veteran and show that you have some understanding of their work. 

2. Offer your skills and services to those who are transitioning from military service to civilian life.  

3. Volunteer at your local YMCA military welcome center. If you are in the OKC area, please schedule a time to volunteer at our YMCA military welcome center located at Will Rogers Airport.  

4. Work for peace through volunteer opportunities with your local YMCA and give to your local YMCA’s peacemaking efforts.