Veteran's Day

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a few days; I kind of got a little caught up in some things happening in the country. That's it...That's all I'm going to say about politics. Anyways today's blog might be a little difficult to read because I'm feeling a little ramble-ish. You've been warned!


First off, it is officially November 10 so happy birthday devil-dogs!! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then that greeting wasn't for you! Now on to my thoughts of the day...I was surprised when a lady at the VA asked me where I was going to eat at on Friday. Granted I had just rolled out of bed and barely made my appointment on time, but I couldn't for the life of me understand why a clerk would need to know where I was eating two days from now! Hell, I didn't even know what/where I was going to eat that day! I must have looked pretty clueless or she thought my meds were in overdrive because she leaned in and repeated the question again, more loudly and much slower. I could only answer, "Umm, I have no idea?" while wondering who the crazy person actually was. She sighed pointed to a flier right on the counter top and said, "For Veteran's Day. Any particular restaurant you want to eat at?" Aha! Now I understood! Veteran's Day, somehow, recently it has come to symbolize free food for veterans.


Don't get me wrong, I think it's very nice that restaurant's and business are willing give free goods and services on Veteran's Day. But is that really what the holiday is about? Veteran's Day and Memorial Day (don't get me started on the commercialism of that holiday! I will post about that later!) are two holidays that I normally cringe when they get close. One reason is people seem to mix the two up, and I keep getting "Thanks for your service" on Memorial Day. Now for clarification, Veteran's Day is the day set aside to remember veteran's of the military, living ones. Memorial Day is the day set aside to remember and honor those who have died in service to our country. I'm not trying to sound like an ass, a lot of people really don't know there is a difference. I cringe around Veteran's Day because it has somehow become this all-consuming idea of getting free drinks, coffees, food, tire changes, etc. I can't understand that, I love that people are trying to show gratitude but can't it be done another way?


While on the subject of gratitude, I never know what to say when someone says, "Thank you for your service." Saying "you're welcome," sounds dickish but saying nothing is even more weird. So I usually end up mumbling some awkward gibberish. I what I really should say is, "Thank you for allowing me to be your ambassador to other countries, and for trusting and believing in me and thousands of others to keep this country free. You are the reason we fight." But again that would make things awkward!


Well I'll finish with this, have a good rest of the week, enjoy your Veteran's Day- if you see a vet, thank them even if they get awkward and mumble gibberish back. Who knows, it could be the meds! More importantly, it was and always will be an honor to have served in the defense of this amazing nation! This Veteran's Day, I want to thank you, the American people, you made a vow to never forget your military veteran's, and you're keeping that vow every day. Your thanks is seen everyday, not just once a year.