Some Afterthoughts...
This post is kind of like an epilogue to yesterday's.
I didn't really mean for it to turn out that way...it just did.
I will preface this by saying there are many days that I just type down whatever is swimming around in that grey matter resting on my shoulders. Other days, I have a definitive plan for what I want to comment on.
Today is a day of impetuous impulsivity, laced with a bit of forethought.
So here goes...
I used to view Veteran's Day a lot differently when I was young, than how I do today.
There was a time when Dad would take me to the parade, and we'd get to see the troops and color guards marching by, bands playing, military vehicles rumbling along, flags waving everywhere, and a wonderful sense of jaw-dropping awe.
All this represented a smattering of our entire military, and yet, as a small youth, I was thunderstruck by the magnitude of what I saw.
And Dad was there beside me, humming the songs the bands played as they passed in review.
Around us, families also took all this in, and there was no sense of trepidation...no one worried about having their pockets picked, or a fight breaking out. NO animosity was displayed. It was a show of sheer patriotism by all...and during a time when the nuclear umbrella of the Cold War hung over us all.
(Today, we have people around here that won't show an ounce of RESPECT for those who serve, if their life depended on it...and I get PO'ed...but that's another post for another day)
Amazing how vividly you recall such things as you get older.
Today, I look at Veteran's Day with a lot less "awe".
It's not to say I think of that day with any less substance...quite the reverse.
My thoughts and feelings have changed...or perhaps evolved is a better word.
I look at Veteran's Day with a profound sense of being.
I have lost more than a few friends and co-workers who served, as well as my Dad, my grandfathers, assorted uncles, and others.
I've lost people older than me, as well as peers, and even some younger than I am.
And if there's ONE thing that will bring home a feeling of mortality...THAT is it.
One thing I find interesting, is that in the history of this nation, we have had SO many men (and women) serve this country and die for it's principles, so others might be able to carry on into the future.
These people embodied a unique spirit across this land.
They felt this nation deserved a chance at freedom and liberty, and, as was demonstrated back in the late 1700s, were willing to do whatever would be required to achieve it.
...And hold onto it.
Times have changed since those days...we're a lot more of a complex nation, as are our people.
No longer are situations defined purely in black and white.
We have an almost infinite amount of shades of gray.
What was seen as THE thing to do (regarding our declaration of independence from England) back THEN, can often be construed to mean something that will take decades of debate to arrive at a decision TODAY.
No more are we the "upstart" nation wishing to pursue our freedom...at any cost.
Then again, the world has become a much "smaller" place in those 250+ years.
But through ALL of this (and more) we have had those who FOUGHT for those freedoms...for US, and our future. The funny thing, is that they had no idea how the future would turn out 200 years hence, but TRUSTED the people would know what to do with a free nation, once they had that freedom defined and secured.
So it was THEN...and so it is TODAY.
We have troops stationed across the globe, in the skies, under our seas...all with but one purpose:
To secure liberty and freedom for the oppressed in any land, and to maintain such liberty and freedom at home.
That is America's mission statement when it comes to our military...and it hasn't changed all that much in over 2 centuries, has it?
What has changed are the faces...
Those we remember as our fathers and grandfathers are NOW including our sons, daughters, sisters and brothers, and in some cases, our grandchildren.
That just comes with growing the hell up, I suppose.
Life WILL change you...and not the other way around.
Add to that the fact that we have an all-volunteer military.
Service is...BY CHOICE.
So when I think of Veteran's Day in TODAY'S terms, it is with a very deep sense of gratitude.
There are no words that can convey the proper feelings, nor actions that can fully demonstrate my personal thanks, along with the thanks of so many more across our nation.
I just seem to come up a little short, as do many others.
I suppose as we age, we begin to appreciate so many things so much more.
Human sacrifice being near or at the top of the list.
And I'm not just speaking to giving one's LIFE.
Think about all the sacrifices made by our troops, and by their families.
It's not something they can flip on or off, like a light switch. When they're in it, they're in it until the end.
Every day across this nation, families are making sacrifices. Fathers and mothers are in country, doing what needs to be done while their family is at home, hoping for a safe return of their loved ones.
They do without, so many others need not have to.
I cherished the time I had with my Dad...but I would like to have thanked him one last time...for everything.
Yeah, Veteran's Day may only come once a year...a time we ALL come together and acknowledge those who serve or have served.
But their service does not end when the sun goes down on THAT day.
They press onward...they endure, as do their families.
So, do something different TODAY...if you know a vet or happen to see a vet...take a moment to THANK THEM...AGAIN.
There's not any law that says we have to put our gratitude back on the shelf for another 364 days, is there?
Every moment you can take a breath in a nation such as ours, it's made possible by those in military service TO this nation.
Personally, I feel that gratitude is something MANY people in this country lack... We're too busy raking in entitlements to appreciate those freedoms being fought for..or who is fighting for them.
We need to back up and take stock in who WE are, and who those warriors are.
We need to make some sacrifices in our spirit, in order to understand WHY our troops do what THEY do.
And that's as good a first step to understanding each other and ourselves as any I can think of.
Stay safe out there, America.