Thank you to all that serve or have served. I appreciate what you do for us and the sacrifices you make.
My wife is supposed to be starting her new job on Monday. They have been remiss on contacting her with details so far. Her text to her contact there sent this morning is, "Happy Veterans Day." (Which he is a veteran.) "Just waiting to hear from HR etc etc..." I was like, "Hey, no Happy Veterans Day for me? All those years I was away from the family....?" (Living in Italy. Loved every second. Working vacation.)
Happy Veterans Day to everyone and in particular to my father and grandfather who both served in Vietnam.
Wish Happy Veterans day to all those who served on this first Veterans day when the US doesn't have troops in Afghanistan or Iraq. Remember also for many veterans the war doesn't end when they fighting stops but many are still suffering from PTSD and many other issues that will be with them for the rest of their lives.
Had breakfast with a group of veterans this morning. Two from Vietnam, two from Iraq, and one from Afghanistan. One was in a humvee that hit an IED back in Iraq during the 90s. He has some brain damage that impairs his movements and he's dealing with PTSD. I got a call from his wife this morning telling me he has been up since a thunderstorm rolled by last night and wanted to know if we all could start our breakfast a little early. He's been managing it pretty good but every now and then it hits him hard. It was a good morning with great company.
People like to say "thank you for your service" and act as if veterans are put on a pedestal but as someone that has involvement, the reality is that veterans are often treated poorly, taken advantage of by their government and dropped back in civilian life poor and having spent their prime years for establishing employment and education making other people wealthy.
