lolo, thank you for your service

by Angeline Kai Vibar, ACSW

Honoring my grandfather, U.S. Army Veteran Alejandro Vibar on Veterans Day, 11-11-2025.

I have hermit tendencies, which sometimes make it challenging to express my thoughts uninvited. But as I reflect on Veterans Day, I feel called to share how deeply meaningful it has been to work with the veteran community, and how much of that purpose is rooted in my own family’s story.

My grandfather, Alejandro Vibar, served in the U.S. Army and survived being a prisoner of war during the Bataan Death March in the Philippines. He lied about his age and enlisted at 15. I felt honored to interview him for my 10th-grade U.S. History class, hearing directly from him the trauma, torture, and hunger he endured. That conversation shaped my earliest understanding of trauma, resilience, and the intergenerational impact of survival.

U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, giving POW/MIA challenge coin to veteran Alejandro Vibar.

My Lolo survived. He built a family. He integrated back into civilian life without the mindful language or tools we have today. I still don’t know how he did it. He was a hard-working husband and father of five, showing love through discipline and quiet devotion. As a child, I feared him. As a teenager, I looked for any chance to connect with him. As an adult, I feel like I finally understand him. There was strength in his silence; he carried the weight of his trauma alone.

Today, in my work, I provide psychotherapy for veterans who have experienced trauma, supporting them as they transition into civilian life and guiding them back to themselves after a life of service. Veterans navigating PTSD, moral injury, identity shifts, and the challenges of reintegration. I witness firsthand the power of evidence-based care: CBT, ACT, DBT-informed interventions, mindfulness, somatic grounding, and meaning-centered approaches.

Every day, I am reminded that healing is possible. That connection makes a difference. And that trauma does not erase a person’s capacity for rebuilding, integrating, and rediscovering purpose.

This work is precious. It is a privilege I never take for granted.

To my Lolo, I miss you. I wish you had the tools you needed to heal. Thank you for your strength, sacrifice, and the legacy of resilience you left behind. I search for you in every soldier I meet.

Alejandro Vibar, US Army Veteran.

In honor of my grandfather, Alejandro Armero Vibar (1922–2017) and every veteran who continues to find their way home.