Veterans Day

Thank you to all out there who have served regardless of what branch! 

+ infinity.  

But it's also hard to not remember the vets we lost over the years- and I know that's a different holiday.

Thank you, Veterans!

I realized that today was Veterans Day and hurried home to display the American Flag in observance. 

I never know how to respond, even at 54.

"Thank you for your service!"  Me:  "Thank you...uh you're welcome...ok?" 

In reply to Jerry :

I'm pretty much in the same boat...

To all who have shown appreciation, I am grateful; just not very good at expressing it...

In reply to Jerry :

Me three.  That's pretty much what I say, still feels a little awkward.

In reply to Jerry :

Me as well. 

Originally Armistice Day, commemorating the end of WWI, which is why November 11 is recognized all around the world under many names.

On November 11, 1918, my grandfather was back in action after being wounded. I always think of him on this date.
 

In reply to dxman92 :

Yeah, what he said...Thanks to all my brothers & sisters in arms no matter what branch you served in.

My grandfather (who did spend some time on a tin can in the Pacific during the early-mid 40s) would have been 100 today.

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

Originally Armistice Day, commemorating the end of WWI, which is why November 11 is recognized all around the world under many names.

 

It's got a very different feel in some other countries, more "never again" than "thanks for your service". One of the days when I feel most foreign in the US.

My 5 year old nephew was tasked with making a Veteran's day card at school today, and he knows his uncle Jason is a vet (as is his grandfather). They were given a card to color in and told to add their own message, something along the lines of "thank you for your service" or "thank you for protecting my freedom".

He wrote "thank you for protecting me from slavery".

Next time I see Jason, I'm going to thank him for protecting me from slavery because he's not comfortable with the thanks for your service thing.

Honesty moment:  I am an anti-conflict leftist nutjob, but I have truckloads of respect for our Military Vets for many reasons.  I'm too chicken E36 M3 to do it myself, and we would not be what we are today if it hadn't been for the sacrifice of selfless service people who draw the line and stand there to hold it.  Seriously, if you gave me a gun and told me to face an enemy, I would likely ask to clean latrines instead.

Much respect, veterans.  Thank you.

Last year, I spoke with a man at Home Depot for nearly an hour after thanking him for his service.  He helped take Iwo Jima, stayed to help with the air strip, and actually refueled the Enola Gay on its way to Hiroshima (of course he didn't know its mission at the time).  He also met with newly-sworn-in President Truman (after FDR died) when Truman visited Iwo Jima as part of his decision to make use of the A-bomb.  This man was living history.  I missed a breakfast date with my family because I was riveted to his stories.

Curtis- lots of us who served are lefty anti war/conflict nutjobs. I joined the Coast Guard at 18 thinking it was Baywatch, only to find out it was real military, except with a little man complex. I found myself in the Persian Gulf in 99, and retiring from active duty in 2018, with a pretty major guilt complex for never having seen the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts like many of my generation did. I think service takes many forms, and we would collectively do well to acknowledge those who fly under the radar a little. And- I think that national service should be a requirement- 18-20 you do something from cleaning toilets at a national park to becoming a Coast Guard surfman. It would do our country a deep service to see each other as comrades with a diverse background rather than adversaries.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

In one of my favorite books, one of the main characters lost her husband to the Alien Enemy, and joined the military just to assist.  "She'd been prepared to push papers, or direct traffic, or shovel E36 M3, if she could thereby free someone else to go kill Bugs."

Because she was a main character, she ended up becoming a fighter pilot, and ended up becoming an officer due to attrition and other things, and if you'd ever read Starship Troopers, you could see that it was almost a whole character reference.