Happy Veterans Day

"Happy"?

I am not sure. From one point of view there are too many of us. Would that there had been peace and we only had a small military. That, however, is unlikely to happen.

I am trying to remember if when I was young this was still "Armistice Day," commemorating the end of The Great War (World War I) on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. People were sick of the war by that point. But, the taking of the easy armistice led to Germans claiming that they had not been defeated on the field of battle and that the Armistice was all the result of a stab in the back by liberal politicians.

While not the only step toward World War II, the "stab in the back" meme was a big one. The urge to get it over with quickly can sometimes lead to problems down the road. Wars appear to be episodic, but in some ways they flow from one into another.

Perhaps the thing that stands out for me as a Veteran is that I was able to work with my brothers and sisters in arms to make our nation a little safer and the world a slightly better place.

My thanks to all the Veterans and to all those who aren't Veterans, but who supported someone who was in uniform by their love and affection.

Regards -- Cliff