VETERANS DAY

I can't really say "Happy Veterans Day" since so many vets continue to suffer and so many new vets who will end up suffering are created every day. As a veteran who didn't see combat because I was in the military during The Cold War I feel even more sadness for those who had to face the fear and stress of actually combat, let alone the injuries and death.

My two oldest brothers served at the end of World War Two, one on Okinawa when there was still fighting going on there. I believe he suffered from that for the rest of his life. My third brother served during Korea, but never saw combat thankfully for him. But I've had cousins and others in our clan who did see combat and suffered from it in their own ways.

I served for four years (actually four years and two weeks to make up for "bad time" i.e. when I was AWOL, for which I was court martialed) and managed to just miss the beginning of Viet Nam and the needless suffering caused by that war. I believe we do have some things to celebrate this Veterans Day, including the end to combat in Iraq and the impending end to it in Afghanistan, at least for our troops. I only wish there was no need ever to force young men and now women into the horrors of war and the scars they leave.

For all those I knew who died in war, and for those who suffered the physical and psychological scars of combat, including many members of my clan and good friends, may we honor your service by vowing to do all we can to stop the use of violence as a means for solving anything, despite the "good" wars that at the time seem inevitable.

And on a lighter note, here's one of the few shots of me during those four years, in fact at the beginning of them when I was nineteen with my basic training buddy Murph [the image is a little clearer if you click on it]: