Until someone has gotten a call at 3:17 am from their son who is in a combat zone, they have no idea of what they are talking about. Platitudes are meaningless.
I guarantee you when you hear, "Um, Dad? First of all, I was injured but I am going to be ok." you will not have any trouble waking up.
I have talked about it a few times on this site so for those of you who have heard this before I apologize.
My son is a purple heart recipient from a suicide car bomb.
Before his service I thought Veteran's Day was a good thing. It's such a small thing to take one lousy day out of the year and tell the men and women who have served that we realize that they did something others have not done.
Today I understand much more about the sacrifice these men and women have made in addition to the sacrifice their families have made. While it is not easy on parents, it is so much harder on the spouses and children. My son served in the local guard unit. Every week or two we saw the toll it took on family members. We organized groups to mow yards or shovel the snow. Among so many other things.
While I missed my son it is no where near what the women in our group were going through. Or how about a 2 year old? That's old enough to know you have a Dad but not old enough to understand why he isn't here for your birthday. It's not old enough to know why Mommy is crying all the time. Skype or whatever helps. It wasn't very good when my son was overseas. No matter how good video is, there is no hug, no kiss, no physical contact that every human deserves.
Barny is still looking to pick a fight and I don't really care what his is saying. To me it isn't worth my time.
The truth is today I understand the meaning of THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE so much more than I did 10 years ago.
It is interesting that my son told me young servicemen don't care for it. (Viet Nam vets appreciate it. because they didn't get it when they returned.) They think it's somewhat phony. People don't know what to say so that's the go to response for many. When one young serviceman very politely and sincerely suggested to my wife that others may think less of her for saying it, she explained why she had earned that right. He agreed with her that she does have the right. I always begin by stating my son told me that some people don't like it and I understand why. It takes longer but I show them it's not like someone mumbling the rosary or walking through the receiving line at a visitation. I have never had anyone complain. My suggestion to those who want to thank a service man/woman take 10-15 extra seconds to qualify what you are saying. It will seem to be more heartfelt.
Since my son values Veteran's Day, I will too. There is so much of what the army and politicians do that is wrong. No matter how wrong they are, it has nothing to do with honoring those who served. I don't care if they were in combat like my son, those who stayed safely inside the wire like most, or those who are fortunate enough to never leave our shores. It doesn't matter. They all have earned the right to have people show a little appreciation for their sacrifice and effort.
All the flyovers, flag waving and commercials are just a by product. That's not where our focus needs to be.
Of course I yield to NSD and his opinion.