By definition, a veteran is not simply someone who waged war on behalf of their country. A veteran is anyone who served in the armed forces in defense of their country. Presumably done honorably. Wartime. Peacetime. Veteran.
Over the past decade or so, I've grown weary of the notion that this day of remembrance is but a 'holiday' designed to give our retailers another excuse to raise prices only to falsely lower them (let's not forget Memorial Day and the 4th of July, each symbols themselves of the need for lower prices, instead of the price our nation has paid in blood and souls, time and again); or to give television and cable broadcasters the opportunities to rake in more advertising dollars for time slots in between snippets of John Wayne and Robert Mitchum storming the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima.
And yet another Veterans Day has found our nation ensconced in a bloody war that has no end in sight. I could go on and on about the how and the why we are where we are. But today isn't about those who sent us. It's about those who serve.
When I think of Veterans Day, I remember all the audio tapes my family exchanged with my brother while he served during Vietnam. He was stationed as an aircraft bomb loader at a base in Thailand. Letters weren't nearly good enough. We had to KNOW he was okay, frequently. I also recall clearly, the tearful relief I witnessed our mother express when he returned home safely at the end of his tour. It was like she'd been holding her breath the entire time, from the day he left to enlist. And our family photos document all too well the strain of that separation.
When I think of Veterans Day, I remember the parade held in Chicago after Desert Storm in 1991. Banners and bunting flying from every building, bands blaring J.P. Sousa at every intersection, veterans from every branch of service, whole and not, marching (or rolling) side by side, receiving the accolades they so richly deserve. Desert Storm was 'over' in three days, and was declared a 'victory'.
When I think of Veterans Day, I think on the photographs that the current administration has fought long and hard to keep the public from seeing, in the hopes of warding off the negative press that would inevitably follow. Its okay for the press to 'report' the numbers. Simple data doesn't have the impact that images do. Images of flag draped caskets returning to the states, signifying lives given in service to their country are too much for you to bear. I am gravely saddened to know that we have lost so many brave men and women, regardless of the merit of the current endeavor. Still, I am honored that so many willingly chose (as I did) to follow in the footsteps of the many who have gone before them. Risking all, everyday. Without exception I am proud to have served my country. And given the opportunity, probably would do so again.
When I think of Veterans Day, I am disappointed by servicemen and women in the National Guard and Reserves who complain over being deployed to the current conflict, informing anyone who will listen that they had no intentions of fighting, they were only in it for the (educational) benefits. "Roll the dice, pay the price", or "There's no such thing as a free lunch". Pick your rhetoric, its all the same. Those who join under these precepts, gamble. Still, these men and women who seem to have no sense of duty to anyone but themselves continue to serve. Rather than fighting the system, they too fight the enemy, which makes them veterans nonetheless. Peacetime. Wartime. Makes no difference.
Sadly, our country continues to distinguish between wartime veterans and those who were simply fortunate enough to serve when there was nobody to (openly) battle. As recent events in North Korea should remind us, that war rages on still, even in its silence of the last 40-plus years.
Indeed, we owe those who gave their all during conflicts the highest of honors. But we should not forget those who choose to place themselves in harm's way, even in "peacetime". In most cases, the choice to bear the symbol of defender is an act of blind courage. For as some have learned, the distance between peace and war can be as brief as a single sip of tea.
Every man and woman who dons the armor of the stars and stripes deserves your respect. From the ones who came back whole (and those who did not), as well as those who stood the homefront.
