It was a small piece, what is often called a “brief” in newspaper parlance, but the news that the Pacific Northwest Veterans Alliance received $5,000 in grant funds to help area veterans symbolizes the ongoing need to help those who served our country.

The Hermiston-based Pacific Northwest Veterans’ Alliance will use the funds to help veterans in Umatilla and Morrow counties. The assistance will run the gamut from helping vets with prescription medication expenses, mental health services and other health-related costs.

The grant was bestowed by the Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation.

The need to ensure our veterans are well cared for continues. As of 2022 there are more than 16 million veterans in the United States. These are men and women who willingly signed up to help the nation. Whether in peace or war, those who served our great nation deserve the best we, as Americans, can provide them.

Yet that hasn’t always been the case. America tends to furnish widespread support for those who serve in our Armed Forces during the run-up and often during a conflict. Once the conflict ends, however, the plight of our veterans fades into the broader tapestry of nationwide priorities.

Supporting our men and women during a time of war is noble, honorable and the right thing to do. Yet when the war ends, when the troops come marching home, the real work actually begins. That is work to ensure our veterans are not forgotten. That their health issues — physical and behavioral — do not evaporate over time.

No doubt there are an array of health inequalities across a broad swath of our society. The health struggles of our veterans, though, should not be regulated to the back shelf of our collective consciousness.

Our veterans committed their bodies and minds to our defense. They did so willingly. So, we owe it to them to ensure their health concerns in the future are met with care and dignity.