Tony-Man revisits Veteran's Day

Because eagles saluting would look ridiculous...

Allow me to caveat a few things before I re-explore this holiday:

- I did not like being in the Army.
- I do not talk much about my military days.
- I have had brothers and sisters die in my time.
- I'm a little over four years removed from the Army.
- I served seven years
- I'm still wondering why customer service gets a week but battle-tested veterans get only a day.

What really is a Veteran?  I used to think that a Veteran was a person who fought in battle.  Sure, a generally broad definition, but one that always seemed to work for me.  Now; I think it's something a little more.  Instead of the general definition given above, it seems that in this post-9/11 mortem that we live in, a Veteran is now pretty much anyone that has served the military from pretty much 2002 on.  I get the distinct honor of being a Veteran under both loosely defined terms.

But what exactly is the price that Veterans pay?  I; not unlike several people that I know, have night terrors.  We have broken psyches, we have short tempers (well, I don't, but many do), we act and behave in ways that aren't exactly how people remember.  We have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, and they come in various degrees, and various flavors if you will.  Me personally, I have horrible bouts of manic-depressiveness that stems from situations and people from long before I was in the Army.  The protection of America's interests is not measured in inflated worthless American dollars alone.

I don't really like the concept of Veteran's Day.  At least not really in the incarnation that I perceive it.  I see lots of facebook posts (some from fellow veterans) thanking Veteran's for their service.  But I wonder how many civilians actually stop and think about the sacrifices and the debt that we are still paying, 4, 5, 10, 20, 30 years after our jobs are done.  I wonder how many people out there really even know what freedoms we enjoy, and our supposed God-given rights are.  And I wonder what our founding fathers would think if they knew the state that America is in right now.

So, to all my fellow veterans, past and present, I say not thank you, because thank you seems somehow empty and hollow from an ever-increasingly complacent nation that has more buzzwords and cliches and catchphrases that even "Thank you" is becoming one.  I would just like to say, Good Job Soldier (or sailor, or marine, or airman), and drive on.  I think, while seemingly less personal, means far more to the men and women in the uniform.

As for me, I'm going to celebrate Veteran's day by going to work at Wal-Mart (Perhaps a blog for a different day) and doing nothing but enjoying my half-day.  Just know, that Halloween and Veteran's Day pretty much marks the beginning of my end-year slump.  Tune in next time where I will review something, I'm sure.