( CNN ) -- This Veterans Day , like the nine that preceded it , does not come at a time of peace . We are no longer saying thanks to veterans of wars past such as our grandfathers , uncles or those guys who fly black POW/MIA flags twice a year . Now we are thanking our children , our friends from high school and our younger cousins . Every day , someone new is introduced to the hardships of wartime military service or the horrors of combat . These are wars with no clean victories . There are no sailors in New York waiting to grab a passing dame to celebrate victory with a kiss . In the way that people offer their thanks , there is an echo of guilt -- just an echo -- of our country 's mistreatment of its Vietnam veterans , and that only a select few have borne this generation 's burden of war . That awkwardness with which the thanks is delivered , coupled with some veterans ' anxieties about what they have seen or done , can make Veterans Day seem like a show of empty patriotism -- or worse , a slim bandage slapped over a gaping wound of indifference , pity or guilt . Our towns and cities throw parades on this day , often out of tradition and in an attempt to demonstrate anything but apathy toward their war fighters . Unlike parades past -- parades not held during wartime -- these gatherings do not celebrate victory . They directly celebrate service while indirectly celebrating survival . Even that is a messy , ongoing process . A returning veteran stepping off a plane onto U.S. soil is not evidence that the veteran survived the war -- about 20 % of all suicides in the United States are committed by veterans . For some returnees , simply making it through another day is their new objective . Life back home can seem remote , confusing or even pointless . Now there is some discussion of restructuring the military pension system and raising the cost of health insurance for future service members to cut costs . That our country needs to get its fiscal house in order is not in question ; what should be examined is the tendency of our government to view military service as something comparable to private-sector work . This perspective , when combined with a cynical political understanding that the military will accept any burden , puts additional strain upon our overtaxed fighting force . Consider how our civilian population 's experiences on this Veterans Day will contrast sharply with that of the military : . In the U.S. , a man will wake up , make breakfast , pack his briefcase and walk to his car worrying about traffic jams . In Afghanistan , an infantryman will wake up , slug down the same food he has been eating for months , check his equipment and climb into his armored vehicle worrying about the road disintegrating beneath him . In the U.S. , a hardworking mother of three will cycle her children through the shower , make breakfast and send them off to school before she heads to work . In Iraq , a hardworking military police platoon leader will cycle her 20 soldiers through personal hygiene and the chow hall , and lead the convoy briefing before they go on patrol . In the U.S. , a man will work a part-time job in a warehouse , running a forklift and hauling merchandise throughout the night , impatient to reach home . At Bagram Air Field , a soldier waiting for his leave flight back to the States will draw extra duty . His detail will move dead bodies -- dozens of them -- throughout the night , storing them carefully inside of a transport plane . He will be impatient to be done with the solemn yet gruesome task , but when he is finished , he will have to be ordered to take leave . With the images of the dead fresh in his mind , he will be disoriented and not even want to go home anymore . He wo n't be sure where to go , for that matter . In the U.S. , politicians propose cutting military pensions and health benefits . Overseas , veterans see the potential reduction of military benefits and conclude that their service and their sacrifices -- over many years and multiple deployments -- are not a priority to the very politicians ( of both major parties ) that sent them to war . Like the casualty numbers in Afghanistan , the number of combat veterans keeps rising . Let this Veterans Day -- like the decade of Veterans Days before it -- be an opportunity to hear the stories of our warriors , to ask them honest and respectful questions without fearing them or projecting preconceived notions onto them . Let it be a day where we can see the falsehood in the argument that government cuts should start with those who have already given up so much . Let this holiday be spent celebrating the freedom to live our lives safely and without fear of terrorism or enemy attack . So go to work , send your kids to school , say goodbye for the day to loved ones -- while others ruck up for another mission . And remember : While the wars will not last forever , many are still in the fight and could use more than a few words of thanks when they come home . And over here , some are still , in their minds and in their wounds , over there . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jonathan Raab .
Jonathan Raab : Veterans Day more about survival than victory for many of today 's troops . He says returning troops face long recovery even as budget woes raise threat of benefit cuts . He says military service is much more taxing and traumatic than a civilian 's work . Raab : The US has been at war in Afghanistan since 2001, but the conflict there will be over by 2014.