Today in the U.S. is Veteran's Day, and I believe in Canada it's "Remembrance Day". A day to honor all those who have served this country in uniform.

Here's a short bit on the history of this holiday...

Veteran's Day History

I would just like to take a moment myself and maybe give others the chance to just say thanks to those in uniform in and outside of this fourm.

I was coming back from the store when I had a fit of inspiration and desided to pen it down. (This will also be in the literary thread.)

Thanks to DTOM, OS, Aquilla and all the other service members, past and present who contribute here and thanks to every single person since 1775 that gave what they gave to protect this nation.

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To those who've fallen
To those who stand
To those who rise and salute the band

Which carries the flag
For which they've bled
Remembering friends
Both living and dead

To my neighbors, their wives
The young and the old
To the Vietnam Vet
And the stories he's told

To those in Iraq
And Afghanistan
Marines in the Gulf
Airmen in Japan

I offer my thanks
With a swelling of pride
For those of you living
And those that died.


Happy Veteran's Day

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

A special thanks to all of my family and friends that have served and put their lives on the lines to defend the liberties of this great nation.

An additional boost of spirit that goes out to all of those who served for my benefit that have no idea of who I am or what I believe.

To all of those family members past and present who have sacrificed at home so their loved ones could serve the country again my sincerest thanks.

To all of those who have lost their lives in service of our country whether in noble deed that served all or in missions that more debatably served the best interests of our nation, of god's design, or the benefit of humanity, I am awed by your ability to place your faith in the higher good and ultimately make the ultimate sacrifice in service of something greater than any one person.

God bless you one and all to anyone who has ever served in uniform in the name of the United States of America, freedom, and democracy.

Thank you, Vets!!!

Happy Veterans Day! No words or gesture can ever really repay all of the men and women (past, present and future) out there risking their lives for our country. Thank You!

Thanks Vets

CP

I'd like to add my gratitude to those who have served and those who are serving. We are all in their debt. We may not always support the the rationale behind our engagement in many conflicts, but the overwhelming majority of our men and women in uniform serve honorably, with a courage and dedication which does us all proud.

For anyone who'd like to show their support to those who are currently serving, there's a good organization called Books for Soldiers which provides the means for sending care packages - books, magazines, toiletries, snacks, even just letters - to those serving abroad, especially those who may not have close family or friends. I circulated information about the group at work and the response has been amazing. I'm not sure if posting a link here would be considered spam or not, but if anyone would like more details, feel free to PM me. (And thanks to Cube Jockey for bringing this to my attention in the first place.)

Incidently, Books For Soldiers is listed in the AD Resources section under Activism & Involvement. So, if you haven't taken a look at the resources pages now would be a perfect time to do so

Also, I'm just curious - does anyone do anything special to celebrate this day?

I don't have any traditional yearly activity. Sometimes I participate in an activity, or my unit is tasked to march in a parade or whatnot.

Tonight however, I'm going to put the kids to bed, grab a beer and sit down to watch Last Letters Home on HBO.

I don't foresee a very steely eyed, macho paratrooper around the DTOM house tonight......

Its only Veterns day for another hour so it look like I am in time! I would like to show appreciation for all thoes veterns that have serverd in the US Branches of Military Services. America should look up to you. You defended freedom willing to give up your lives. Thank you!~

Happy Veteran's Day, and a big thank you to all of the AD members who have served.

Happy Veteran's Day, and thank you.

Doc

Thank you to all our veterans. I think most the vets here at AD know how strongly I support our troops and how much I appreciate the sacrifices you and others have made on my behalf. Instead of getting all mushy, I'll share a bumper sticker I saw the other day that summed it up real nice. It read:

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a soldier.

The other day I was reading an article in my daily newspaper about how few people bothered to show up for the annual Veterans Day parade in downtown Columbus. I spoke with a guy I work with who's a Vietnam vet about it and I said I was thinking about going to the parade on Veterans Day as it was a state holiday and we would be off.

He grinned and said, "Well, you won't find it hard to get a good spot to watch it because the parade is today."

Say what????

I asked how in the heck does it work to have a Veterans Day parade the day BEFORE Veterans Day. Isn't that like having turkey on the day before Thanksgiving?

As a veteran myself I was annoyed by the local Sinclair affilate that refused to show Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan on Veterans Day. They said they wouldn't show it because they were afraid of being fined by the FCC for the film's profanity. I suspect Spielberg's political leanings may have factored in as well.

Such is life in America. You gotta take the good with the bad and sometimes there's an awful lot of bad...