I am a former Annandale resident. I grew up in Annandale, served in the military and subscribe to the Advocate. I did not write this article but thought it would be appropriate for all of us veterans on Nov. 11. “A veteran is …” America’s war veterans come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and ages. Their collective experience spans two world wars and several foreign conflicts. They have followed war mules through Flanders Field, dropped landing barges on the beaches of Normandy, faced the icy cold of Porkchop Hill and trudged the rice patties of the Mekong Delta. But, regardless of differences in makeup and experience, all veterans share a common bond, a brotherhood of memory and hard-won wisdom that helps define their character. A veteran is the first man up as the flag passes by on the Fourth of July, and the last one down, for he has been a witness to the blood and tears that make this and all other parades possible. A veteran is a man of peace, soft spoken, slow to anger, quick to realize those who talk most about the glory of war are those who know least about its horror. He never jokes about war, he’s been there, and still sees on memory’s vivid screen the wounded and the dying, the widows and orphans; he knows first-hand that no war is good and that the only thing worse than war is slavery. He is a friend to all races of man, begrudging none; he carries with him the knowledge that it is not the man that is the enemy but enslavement and false ideologies. Those whom he has faced across the hostile battle lines he now esteems as his brothers. A veteran is at once proud and humble; proud of the fact that in 200 years no foreign enemy has set foot on American soil and humble at the realization that many of his comrades who helped make this lofty aim a reality never returned. Nov. 11 is a special day for all veterans and those who have served in the United States Armed Forces for our country, our freedom and our rights as a U. S. citizen. I personally thank all our country’s veterans for having the courage and making the sacrifices they have made … for me. I encourage everyone to thank those who have served in the armed forces and to say a private prayer for those who have lost their lives defending our country.
