A day to remember...

My entire life growing up i had a very large amount of respect for veterans. My father was a vet during the vietnam era though he served in Germany, his brother was in vietnam. both of my grandfathers are verterans of WWII. So it was no suprise to me that when both my brother and myself made the choice to serve independatly; we signed our lives away within a month of each other. No one that serves in the military comes back the same person. You find a commradory you'll never see again in you life outside of the service. You see, hear and do things that will mark your soul for the rest of your life. Some people respect you, more hate you (think global), and none envy you. When I was first paralized it never really sank in what that meant to me and my country. Granted I was goofing off when I got hurt the first time but it didn't change the fact I was a disabled veteran as is my brother to a lesser extent. But that is the point, I don't think any Vet comes back with out some kind of disablity; whether it be physical, social, or emotional. Likely all three.most might not even realize it like i didn't for awhile, some never. So when my mom started calling me every year on nov 11th to thank me. It was a very difficult thing to accept something I had respected and honored my whole life was now me. For all those veterans out there, men and woman in service now, thank you for your sacrafices. You are valued and cherished among a few, but a loyal few called americans.