For Veteran's day..........

On the other side of the coin, my mother was German and when she was 15-16 years old she lived right smack in the middle of WWII. Her home town was Mannheim, Germany, which was an industrial (factory) town at that time. The Allies bombed the "h*ll" out of that town and destroyed everything. She tells me horror stories how she ran from the streets looking for the nearest bunker, and bombs falling right behind her, just within hair-breath's reach. She survived over and over again, but to listen to her, one has to wonder "how?".

She met my dad when the war ended. My dad was part of the Special Forces group that had to infiltrate those little pockets in German to somehow "inform" everyone the war was over and Germany lost. But eventually little better times came. Dad married Mom in 1948 in Germany and eventually moved within a few miles of my Dad's childhood home in Indiana.

My mother's brother was actually shot with shrapnel and it knocked him out for dead. When he woke up, he was in an America Red Cross POW camp. Unbelievable as this may sound, he was moved to Columbus, Ohio and served the remainder of the war at the POW camp located there. I do believe, and always will, this actually saved his life. He learned to write, read, and speak English when at Columbus, and when the war was over, he was returned home to Germany. He became very successful working for a pharmaceutical manufacturing plan in Mannheim where he eventually retired from. (He died about 15 years ago now).

So yes, we Americans are VERY fortunate we've not seen battle on our own soil, and we've never had to experience our factories, historic sites, and religious centers blown down to nothing but rubble, or scramble, dicker-and-trade your soul away for a bit of left garbage that you might be able to eat.

Almost all of my dad brothers served in WWII and Korea. All of them came back alive. My mother's only brother came back alive (and he was the enemy) for which I am most grateful.

For me, Veterans Day has more than special meaning. Imagine having a mother and father on opposite side of a war. I am just thankful I was not born yet.

For what it's worth, I served in the Army 1982-1988 and had the pleasure of the time period Grenada occurred, but also did my year in Korea and then the political rat-race of Washington D.C.

In addition my Sister and her husband both served during the Vietnam era. My brother-in-law was in Vietnam, my sister was at Fort Lee, Virginia. He returned from Vietnam, stationed at Fort Lee, and somehow they met. They've been married since 1971 now!

My wife's dad was a Marine, her oldest brother was in the Navy, her younger brother was in the Coast Guard, she married an Army Soldier (me) when (I) was in the military. (We were pen-pall when I was stationed in Korea, we've been married 28 years now).

My dad had 5 brothers, all of them served during the WWII and the Korea Era in the Navy and Army. And today all them have have American flags waving over their graves.

My daughter and her husband (both) served in the Navy and had the experience of being "nukes" aboard the USS Eisenhower, floating around in the Persian Gulf a few years ago. Both are civilians now, and have 3 beautiful girls and live in Iowa (as far from the ocean as they can get!

So, when it comes to a topic like this, I have more than just a passing interest. For me, it's more than just what was "spared" in America, I'm also reminded of what was "lost" in Germany every time I see my mother. I'm grateful. My mother is now 90 years old. I see her twice every day for a few moments. She still lives in the house my dad built.

I guess I'm just getting too damned old now myself and too sentimental, or maybe I'm just finally growing up and seeing the world different now.

Yes, be VERY tankful we've not seen these things happen on our own soil!