04/05/2026
𝑰𝑵 𝑺𝑬𝑹𝑽𝑰𝑪𝑬, 𝑰𝑵 𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑬𝑵𝑮𝑻𝑯: 𝑯𝑶𝑵𝑶𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑲𝑬𝑵𝒀𝑨’𝑺 𝑾𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑫 𝑽𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑺
PLANATE management group is not just connecting people - a meeting of beautiful hearts is what you'd call the gathering at MUTHAIGA Country Club that brought together veterans, esteemed researchers in the fields of peace, security, philanthropists, and many others who brought along their greatest of vibes to the luncheon.
Being a part of the main panel of speakers, sharing the podium with Generals, Planate's Global President and other esteemed panelists, was quite an honor. I didn't get here by some fiat; as a servant of humanity, and leading the BA CHALLENGE that has extended support to Veterans for years, and personally having endured and overcome the ravages of mental illnesses, I was honored by the call to share my LIGHT with the "world", and on this stage.
The BA Challenge has since inception advanced its unique blend of initiatives that have seen us involve vets and families of the vets in our ventures, in a way, speeding up recovery and integration efforts, a template that was found very impactful and novel by 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐈𝐆𝐅)'s Global Advisor to Prince Harry, David Wiseman. Our joint adventures, indeed partnership with IGF and Forces Help Africa have also gone a long way in bolstering our reach, and creating conditions for wider exposure to our vets
𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒀𝒐𝒖:
𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝑽𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑵?
WHEN we say Veterans, we are not merely referring to simple "retirement" from military service; the word VETERAN carries several layers of meaning that go beyond a simple career change, retirement or an "abandonment" of active service. To many, "Veteran" isn't a title chosen at a convenient finish line - it is a status often forged through circumstances beyond one's control.
Indeed, considering the "impact" of the lives of those called "veterans" to the general society, you arrive at interesting crossroads; to some (spouses, siblings, children), they are inadvertently invited into a world of horror, and yet others, to beautiful stories of resilience, overcoming, limitlessness, service beyond self, if even larger-than-life milestones that seem mythical.
Therefore, Veterans form a very sensitive part of any population that are honored, and if I can be too brave, lucky enough to have "this" part of their citizenry that "answered" to the highest call to serve (for some, even paid the ultimate price while at it) their nation(s).
Veterans are not defined by the length of their service or how they left, but by the act of serving honorably.
𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝑰𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔
𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝑾𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆! 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒐 𝑾𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 "𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓"?
Veterans walk carrying the Weight of Service: For some, "exit from active service" wasn't an option.
The transition to civilian life can be a forced shift after years of high-intensity service, where the "bowing out" was dictated by the needs of the military or the toll of the mission.
The burden of this weight shows in difficulties to adjust, a disorder that gets worse when Vets don't have a supportive community, or lacking in systems to help with reintegration back into the society. Simple things like "Thanks for your service," or "I can only imagine how much you gave for me/us," to actively getting involved in their plight in support of their transition go a long way.
𝑨 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑰𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒚: Unlike a typical career where you leave the job behind, being a Veteran is an indelible change in identity - it is a LIFE CHANGE. It’s not a "former" status; it’s a permanent one that carries the weight of everything experienced during that time. Perhaps, with more awareness, we become better "conduits", and bridges between the Vets "past", to their desirous liveable present and future selves.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑺𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒔: In today's world where vets stand in the gap in the fight of wars and other disruptors of our peace, a bulk of Veterans therefore are those who didn't come home merely changed, but who came home carrying invisible (war) scars.
Mental illnesses of sorts that Veterans endure are not just personal health challenges and "threats" to their productive living, but they also manifest in ways that affect those around them, and the society in general.
Being a part of a Veteran's recovery journey, providing a shoulder to lean on can be as powerful as creating conditions for one's survival quite practically, if preventing a loss of life.
In conclusion, as a society, appreciating that we are increasingly living in challenging times - there's wars all over, insecurities abound - and that we have a part of us standing in the gap for ALL of us, should inspire us to honor those who "give more" on our behalf: 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑮𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆, 𝑺𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝑨𝑳𝑳.
SHALL WE?