Veteran's Day

Truth be told, I never spent much time thinking about Veteran's Day.

I understood it, certainly. I'm not opposed to Veteran's Day. I'm not sure how one could be opposed to a day celebrating those who fought for us. But maybe it's that it's become so clichéd.

"Bless our troops." Of course.

"Never forget." I wouldn't.

"Keep our troops safe." In any language, yes.

But maybe it's the language, the meaning, the repetition. The troops who fought for us, who sacrificed for us, who gave their lives, each and every clichéd phrase lessening the impact of the true meaning over and over again. Maybe it's that we've run out of ways to say it. I love my country. I just don't feel compelled to say it.

For that reason, when conservatives make this their rallying cry, when Sarah Palin steps between a microphone and an American flag and decries the media and tells us to remember the troops, it's hard not to roll my eyes. Her insinuation that I, as a moderate liberal, don't support my country and the brave soldiers who dare venture where I do not...it angers me.

That said, I admit I am guilty of not fully understanding the heroism of our soldiers. That changed, it only for a moment, when I read this tale of a soldier as he found he was being shipped off to fight. Soldiers do not like to tell these tales. They speak often of brotherhood, of their lighter moments. They uphold that which is most important to them - "Duty, Honor, Country." Sometimes it's tough to fully grasp what they endure. This story shed some light on that, and for that I was eternally grateful. This did not preach to me, did not lie to me, did not speak down to me as if I did not fully understand. It was honest and it was real and it was terrifying. And I appreciated that.

Today, salute an American flag and bless our troops and pray that they come home safe, of course. And any other clichéd phrases you can think of, add those too. But once the day is over and our praises have been sung, remember that war is real, and it is scary, and we may childishly bicker over whether or not we should be involved, argue over troop deployments and war and peace and occupation as a necessity, argue for or against the spreading of Democracy or the refusal to intervene unless our national interests are at stake. But keep in mind that it's real flesh and blood we send into the trenches. It's real men and women who have families and children, who grew up wanting to wear the fatigues, or are simply trying to ride out their service time while praying for the G.I. bill so they can go to college. They have moms and dads, aunts and uncles, friends and acquaintances, who hold their breath every day. They go where we often dare not, sometimes because they want to and sometimes because they have to. That's a sentiment worthy of remembering to "Never Forget."