Veterans Day 2008

Thank you, very much.

Words fail me on days like this, because my fat, happy life is owed to people I've never met signing a check made payable to the United States of America, the amount to read "everything, up to, and including their very lives".

I'm not qualified to polish your boots. I'm not qualified to scrape the siht off your boots, prior to polishing.

Thank you.

The day is soon coming where I will have to stand up as you have. You did it voluntarily; for me it will be out of urgent necessity. Our Cause will be the same, but Your way is much more noble.

Thank you. So very much.

There's tons of sentiment out there (See Also: BlogRoll), I'll offer a small sampling:

McQ of Q and O fame:

Most of the time when you read tributes to vets, they're filled with the stories of those who've suffered in combat and we see pictures showing the battle-weary combat vets which pointedly make the argument about the sacrifices our veterans have made and continue to make.

But not all sacrifices are made on the field of battle. While infantry, armor and artillery are the combat arms - the tip of the spear - they, better than anyone, know how important the team that makes up the rest of the spear are to their success on the battlefield.

Those F-16s don't show up on target at the right time unless that kid flying the boom of a KC10 tanker at 30,000 feet at 2am doesn't do his job. That sabot round from an M1A1 fired at a threatening T72 isn't there unless the truck driver hauling ammo day in and day out gets that ammo where it needs to be when it needs to be there.

Veterans are the guys like the cook who gets up every morning at 3:30 am and begins to prepare breakfast for his guys and gals. The kid below decks on an aircraft carrier who makes sure the F/A 18 he's responsible for maintaining is in perfect shape and ready to fly. The nurse who holds a dying soldier's hand as he takes his last breath, wipes away her tears, straightens her uniform and heads out to do it again.

Darleen Click of The PW Pub has some personal remembrances.

Brevity being the soul of wit, Ragin'Dave and Kim offer their thoughts. Amen, brothers.

Thank you to all our Veterans. So very much.