Veteran's Day

This is the 11th Day of the 11th Month, the day that guns fell silent in 1918.



The 11th of November was originally called "Armistice Day". In America, it later became "Veteran's Day", in England and the Commonwealth, "Remembrance Day".



Like a lot of Vets, I have a bit of a difficult time with Veteran's Day. I didn't do much, just floated around on a couple of US Navy ships, worked hard most of the time, and partied when I could. So, when the politicians say all these nice things about Vets, I have a hard time believing that they could possibly be referring to me.



They're talking about the guy two doors down the street. He's a Navy CPO, a submariner ("bubblehead" to those in the know), who's currently in Afghanistan of all places, making sure that some SpecOps folks get the gear they need to operate.



They're talking about Butch and Dan, who spent twenty-plus years running around in various submarines, doing whatever they were told to the very best of their ability. Since they're pretty bright and determined guys, there's no doubt in my mind they did it well.



They're talking about my Father-In-Law, one of the last of the China Marines. He served in China from 1946 right up to the time the last Marine was pulled out.



They're talking about John, who did two tours in Viet Nam in the US Army. He was, according to him, "Dinged a couple of times".



And my Dad, of course. US Army (Infantry) 1941-1946, France and Germany. Dad never talked much about his war. But he always knew that we were proud of him. Dad isn't around this year, as he passed away in July, aged 85.



Thanks, Guys.