The Real Veterans A few years ago, I was out with friends when we encountered a table where they were celebrating Veterans Day. I started a conversation with one of the men behind the table. “I’m not a real veteran”, I said,” I was in the military, but I didn’t go through anything harder than basic training.” After all I was stationed in Sunnyvale, California at the Blue Cube (the nickname for “Onizuka Air Force station), which had to be one of the easiest places to get stationed. Because of acquiring a clearance, I ended up there for almost the whole time that I was in the Air Force. He looked at me and told me that it didn’t matter, where I was, or what I did, when I served. The fact is that I did serve. That conversation still crosses my mind, every time Veterans Day rolls around. I am glad I served in the military and I feel like I did contribute in some small way. I still don’t know that I feel I have the right to stand alongside those I consider “real veterans”. Those men and women who were in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, Those that actually where in harms way. If you faced a combat situation, ended up injured, physically, mentally or emotionally, my respect for you is quite genuine and none of us can thank you enough. I am not trying to say that those of us like me, who never saw a worse situation then traffic on 237, shouldn’t be proud of what we did or do. Nor am I saying that I don’t respect others like myself that were in jobs that were more in support of those in more dangerous situations. It’s just I have a harder time equating my service to theirs. Both of my brothers and I joined the military, but we did it to learn a craft, or to figure out our lives and to see the world a bit. This is funny when you considered I spent all of my time other than basic and Training school in Sunnyvale. I never knew what it was really to be afraid, cold, or scared, in a foreign country, where the possibility of danger existed. I don’t feel that I sacrificed as they did. I don’t know about anyone else but though I served in the military, I will always look to those women and men first, whose sacrifice was greater than mine, those that knew and faced real danger. I am proud that I joined the military. I can look at that time and no matter what say I at least did some small part in support of my country. That said, I will always understand that there was someone that scarified more than I did, that braved a harder challenge and I will always consider you ….. The Real Veterans.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 20:19:58 +0000
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