11 November 2009

Veteran's Day

11 November

Somehow, I did not get this posted on Wednesday. Been pondering this thread for a while.

I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all the men and women who have served or are serving in the armed forces. Your unselfish sacrifices have enabled the rest of us to enjoy the lives and freedoms we have today. To me, one day is not adequate enough. This is not some sort of Hallmark moment or excuse for a 50 off sale at the local electronics store. There are a lot of heroes we encounter in life and the men and women who serve our country should be at the top of the list. Too often we idolize movie stars or aging rock star and we hold massive memorials when they die tragically. The average guy or gal who is patrolling the hills of Afghanistan or the streets of Baghdad or has manned a fox hole in some foreign land wants to be home with their families, wants to enjoy a normal evening, wants to go to school, wants to cheer on their team to victory. To me, these people are the true unsung heroes.

I say this with some humility. I have had the honor and privilege to serve in the US Army back 25 years ago. I spent 5 ½ exciting/long/excruciating years as an Armor officer in Germany. The Army – It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure. Where else will they let you run over thing with tanks and blow things up for a living? Life in the Army is pretty much 24/7. You are on call every day and a lot of weekends. The time we were stationed in Germany was at the tail end of the cold war era. Right at the end of the Iran hostage crisis and about 10 years before the Berlin wall came down. We were still the primary barrier against an East German/Russian invasion force. My unit was stationed south of Stuttgart and not a border unit, but we did man the border along East Germany at times and our primary mission was to back up the units on border. Let’s not sugar coat it here. While I did not feel we were in jeopardy during our years in FRG, our primary mission was to slow down any advance in case the Eastern bloc invaded the west. While we trained and prepared, I had no illusion as to our longevity if the balloon ever went up. Kinda fatalistic, but I felt you couldn't let that weigh you down. A lot braver souls than I have served and died for our country and I always felt I had an obligation/duty to serve.


But even with those 5+ years in the Army, I still don’t consider myself as a veteran. I know, technically, I am one. I served in the military for an extended period of time and have slept out in the mud & rain for many a night and have eaten more c-rations that I care to remember. I was lucky enough to have served during a time of peace, but I was not engaged in any active conflict (Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, WW II) so, in some way, I don’t feel that I have earned the same accolades that my fellow soldiers who have been in harm’s way. My dad served as a B17 pilot in WWII and I consider him a true veteran, but he does not wear it on his sleeve and I tend to follow his lead. I was proud & honored to have served. I’ve had some people thank me on Veteran’s day and I am grateful for their comments, but I don’t truly feel I deserve it.

1 comment:

terri said...

You are my second blog buddy to say that you don't feel like a veteran even though you served in the armed forces. Let me assure you. You ARE a veteran. Even though you may not have seen active combat, you worked to promote peace every day that you served, preserving the freedom that many of us take for granted on a daily basis. I, for one, am grateful.

Thank you.