Of all the things I have had to be thankful for throughout my life, never having fought in a war has been right near the top of that list since I visited the landing sites in Normandy at age 21. The images of the massive graveyards is forever burnt into my memory. I remember getting off the bus that took us there and looking to my right to see white Crosses and Stars of David as far as I could see. Out in the distance, there was a gazebo-like structure that I assumed to be the end of the graveyard. I walked out to it, reading some of the names on the graves as I went, and I noted that almost all the lifespans were less than 20 years. Upon arriving at the memorial structure, I went inside and read the inscriptions, looked at the murals, etc., and then walked out to the other side. When I saw another sea of gravestones just as vast as the one I had just walked through on the other side, the gravity of the whole thing sunk in. That was, by far, the most humbling experience of my young life.
I have the utmost respect and admiration for our veterans. My next door neighbor is a Vietnam vet. Every year, on Veterans' Day, I cook him the dinner of his choice and deliver it with hand-made cards from my kids as my way of saying "Thanks." To those of you on this board who have served our country in the most honorable of all ways, thank you too. Sorry it's a day late....