Today is the official observance of Veterans Day, which actually falls on The anniversary of Armistice Day. It is a strange feeling. To do that. I certainly am not ashamed of my service, but much of it has been hard, and I spend the time thinking about those who I served alongside, or set an example for me, living and dead.
Unless something really unusual happens it will be my last on active duty. Other people, who seemed to belong to a different world, were laughing. As I said, I have been reflecting on the many friends, comrades, and shipmates, not all of whom are American, that I have served alongside, or have known in the course of my 38 plus year military career.
It is a peculiar bond that veterans share. On Veterans Day the United States choses to honor all of its veterans on a day that was originally dedicatedly Armistice Day, a day to remember the World War One, or the War to end all war; we saw how well that worked out, but I digress. I wrote about Armistice Day yesterday, but Veterans Day is for all veterans, even those who fought in unpopular and sometimes even unjust wars.
This makes it an honorable, but sometimes an ethical problematic observance. However, I still would do it again in a heartbeat. There is something about doing the job that you were both trained to do and called to do that makes it so.
Likewise the bonds of friendship and brotherhood with those who you serve are greater than almost any known in the human experience. Shared danger, suffering and trauma bind soldiers together, even soldiers of different countries and sometimes with enemies.
