A Veteran Reflects

In spite of the fact that most of the thanks I receive for my military service are shallow and reflexive, I do appreciate it because I am proud of being a veteran. It is not so much a pride in anything that I have done but a subtle humbleness in what it has made me. My military experience gave me training and knowledge that I would not have received without this opportunity, so I selfishly give thanks for all of this. I am proud that with the grace of God I found the strength to jump into situations that had uncertain endings even if all my prior conditioning gave me the confidence that the end was worth the means. My wife and kids will tell you that I never tell war stories, but I will share that sometimes the situation calls for unnatural acts that could be categorized as either stupidity or valor. I managed to get several medals for stupidity.

When I go to bed tonight I will flip a switch to turn off the light and remember the times that we had to kill the generators so that the constant whine would not make us a target for mortar fire overnight. I will fluff up my pillow and not check to see if the .45 is there in case I need it quickly. No, I won’t miss the grenade launcher loaded with a shotgun round that would hang over the bedpost so that I could fire into the darkness without thinking first. I do miss my brothers who would have died for me… and me for them. I do treasure the lessons learned about life and about myself.

Welcome home, comrades! I thank you for your service and I mean it. To those who never made it home, you gave it all and I am here because of your ultimate sacrifice. And for those of you who have never served in the military, I hope you never have to. Nobody loves peace like an old soldier.