November 11 is a special day.  It really is not happy special, but it is special.  It is a day to remember and honor veterans.

A veteran is a person who wrote a blank check to the government of his land for his life.  This was given in honesty and love of country. Even if that person, like me, only enlisted for a job.  Even if that person was drafted the check was written.  

This day we honor all veterans, the ones that were lucky enough to survive and the ones that gave that last full measure to protect the freedoms we all enjoy every day.  It is more than a day to honor, it is a day to remember.   Most veterans like me, do not really talk about the bad things they experienced or saw.  They reflect on friends lost, and gained.  We actually fondly remember the comradery that we had.  

Some veterans seek out friends from those days to remember those times, others reflect alone.  I am writing this to remember the good and the bad that I experienced during the almost 20 years I served.  There are names I remember and names I do not remember.  Yesterday a woman thanked me for my service.  I usually just smile and say you are welcome.  But yesterday I said something I've heard before. I thanked her for being the kind of American it was worth serving for.   She smiled, so I think that is the right answer.

I have a friend that lost both legs during Vietnam, and I complained to him about the fools that stomp our flag, burn our flag as a protest, or who refuse to honor our flag during the National Anthem.  He told me something that still sticks with me today.  In America they have the right to do these things.  A lot of people gave their lives and limbs so that they could have these rights.  He said it does not make them right to do it but they still have the right to do it.  When I asked him if it was worth it he said he would do it all again, and that they only have the right to do what they do because of the people that wrote that blank check.

So I sit he and honor and remember the men and women that served and came back, and the ones that were not as fortunate to come back.

Thank God I live in the best and most free country in the world.   To all who served thank you.