Another Veterans Day

Here I sit, on yet another Veterans Day, thinking about all the vets in my life. Family and friends...all very special to me.

I think about a friend who served a year in Iraq back in 2004, who saw things that still haunt him to this day.

I think about my two uncles who served during WWII...one who flew B-17 bombing missions over Germany and spent 18 months as a prisoner of war after his plane blew up in mid-air, and one who joined Patton's army in their march across Europe and into Germany so he could find his brother in that POW camp. They, like so many other WWII vets, are no longer with us.

I think about my dad who fought the Japanese during WWII on three different islands in the Pacific...slogging through the swamps of Bougainville, surviving a horrifying bonzai on Guam, and being wounded on Iwo Jima. After the war, he continued to fight the enemy for years in his dreams.

I think about my middle son who helped launch the first strike of B-52 bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base after the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001. He said it was one of the proudest moments of his life as he watched all of them lift into the air...and one of the saddest as he wished he was going with them.

I think about my youngest boy who is currently serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. He has seen things that he won't talk to me about, which worries me, but he has adjusted well and put them behind him so he can move on.

So many vets to be proud of. My dad always says they aren't heroes, they're just doing their jobs. In light of that, all I can say is......job well done! But they'll always be heroes to me..... :)