Remembering Our Veterans

Today is Veteran's Day and for many, it is a day to remember those who have sacrificed their lives for their countries and for those who continue to put their lives in harm's way all in the name of freedom. It sounds trite and cliched to make such statements but for most of the men and women in uniform, they are the very words that compel them to persevere despite conflicting ideas about what the role of the military in this country should be. Whether you believe in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or you don't, one thing to remember is that the men and women over there are doing their job despite the fact that they may feel the same as the rest of us on their being over there.

Many who have gone over to either country have not come back and many who have come back have not necessarily come back the same as they were. This doesn't just mean lost limbs or the like, but sometimes something deeper. When most people think of war they think of the glorified looks you see in the old war movies starring the likes of John Wayne or Lee Marvin. Tough guys who would lead their men through thick and thin. In the old movies, war was seen as violent but 'clean'. When men (and it was always only men back then) died it was a clean and quick death. None of the reality that many have started to relate in recent memoirs or movies. Lately the reality that was war for many veterans has come to the forefront and though it may be Hollywood's version of what war is like, it is nonetheless important to know that these are but mere tastes of what war is like.

A generation of youngsters grew up on war films before going to Vietnam and they viewed this as the way war really was but it wasn't. Yet the continued to go. Some voluntarily and others involuntarily. They served and fought because it was either what they believed or what they were ordered to do. Despite that, there were many back here who looked down upon those in the service as being evil and killers. There may have been some, but not all. For most they were just doing a job that they were trained to do and they did it for something as simple as the soldier next to them. It's become yet another cliche to hear veterans talk about how they cared so much about the guy next to them that they would go through Hell just to keep them safe. It's a bond of friendship and brotherhood that those of us who have never experienced it cannot understand.

Though there are those who talk about their sacrifices and efforts to keep our country safe, those who serve on the front lines, those who eat out of serving sized containers while dressed in layers of protective clothing, those who spend months and even years away from their family and friends are the ones who will know it. They are the ones who make the greatest sacrifices for their country and for the security and continued well-being of our nation. They are the ones who proudly wear the uniform of their nation and they are the ones who deserve to be recognized for their sacrifices on a day like today.