We knew a Vietnam veteran who once said he didn’t mind being shot at so much. It was the mortar fire that scared him. There was no telling when a mortar round was coming in or where it was going to land, he said.
We are thinking about that comment this morning as we celebrate the 91st anniversary of the first War To End All Wars.
Thanks to our veteran friend and his comrades at arms, most of us have never had the opportunity to find out whether we prefer bullets to mortar rounds.
Thanks to him and his fellow veterans we were able to vote last week without the luxury of having to brave a gauntlet of jack-booted armed guards just to get to the voting booth and we could rest relatively easy, knowing that our town clerks and volunteer ballot counters would do their dead level best to tally each vote correctly.
We live in a great country where it’s possible to start with a little and make a lot.
It is possible, in America, to protest the government, sign petitions and even oppose the military industrial machine, all without fear of being dragged off to the gulag or just “disappearing.”
It is even possible to avoid military service on the grounds of being a conscientious objector.
All this and more is possible, in part, because of our brave men and women who have stepped up in our service.
Thank you to all of our veterans, living and dead. Today is not just a day off. It is not just a holiday.
It’s Veterans’ Day – a day of mourning for those who gave all, and a day of celebration for all they have given us.
