REMEMBERING AND HONORING THE BRAVE

Sunday, November 11, 2007, we will once again celebrate Veterans Day. This day was set aside initially to honor surviving veterans from World War I, but has been expanded to honor all surviving American veterans from every war. For more information you can find details at these sites, here, here and here and elsewhere on the web.

It's my experience that most folks have no clue about Veterans Day, except it sometimes results in them having a three-day weekend. Except for those of us who are veterans, most people don't even give the reason for the "holiday" a second thought, much less fly a flag or attend an event commemorating the day.

Many of us are so wrapped up in local issues - saving the critters, weeds and dirt at Fairview Park or fending off efforts of those who plan to "poison us" with fluoride in our water, for example - that we seldom take time to remember the veterans of our wars and their sacrifices for us.

I hope, sometime this weekend, in between football games or after you've dried off from your morning surfing session, you'll take a moment to seek out a veteran of our many conflicts and thank him or her for their sacrifice for our country. Today, with so many brave volunteers serving in hostile places in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world, it is especially important to show your support for their efforts to protect our country through their military service. Regardless of how you might feel about the validity of our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, the brave men and women who chose to serve this country in dangerous, far away places deserve your respect and support.

We live in perilous times - when events even more horrendous than those of September 11, 2001 could happen here on our soil at any time. There are elements in this world who have vowed to exterminate us. What stands between us and more violence here at home is the bravery and vigilance of our men and women in the armed forces and local law enforcement departments.

Take some time this weekend to hug a veteran - we deserve it.