( September 12, 2001 – Bosnia )
So Veterans Day has come and gone and if it wasn’t for my channel surfing I probably would have been none the wiser. The irony is that I served six years in the Army with two combat tours and one NATO tour, so while technically I am a vet, I just don’t feel like one. To me a veteran is a lot older and wiser. They are the fathers and grandfathers who have seen Hell but you would never know it by meeting them. They are the backbone of America and I just don’t feel that I am someone who can or should fill those shoes. My service isn’t something I like to talk about because I have lost some friends in both Afghanistan and Iraq. I have also had friends come back severely injured. This alone will keep me from boasting vet status so to me, these guys are the vets and really they are my heroes. Thanks Chris, Steven, Chuckle, Dwayne, Brian, Tee Dum, SSG Lynn and B. Berserk. You are never forgotten. That’s all I have to say about that.
So, just like how I deal with everything and the constant running theme of VeggieMacabre, here’s a little humor to lighten to mood.
Casserole of Disaster 
lol what tv show is that from
Wow. This means you were oversees on 9/11. AS weird as everyone felt that day, It had to be odd to be so far removed from where it was happening.
wow Bill.
Thx anyway.
even if you’re uncomfortable with it.
Takes a different kind of person to sign up for teh Armed Forces.
My pops and bro were in teh navy, I could never do it.
a good sense of humor can carry you through anything. that’s the only thing that’s kept me from being institutionalized i think. the meds don’t hurt either. i’m sure you are proud like i am to have done your share paying for freedom. but i feel weird having people thank me for something i volunteered for in the first place. what a mess. thanks for reading the acid post and not falling asleep.
Nice post. I too am a “veteran”. I served in the Navy as an Intelligence Specialist (read: Get coffee for intel officer and paint the ship). I served from 1996-2000. I have a hard time calling myself a veteran when comparing myself to the Seals, Special Ops guys, Rangers, etc. But, thing is, you and I both raised our right hands to defend the country. If that meant changing the valves in some passeageway on some ship 100 miles off the coast of Iraq, than that is what it is meant.
I left the Navy in 2000 and joined the NYPD. On 9/11, I was a still wet behind the ears rookie. I will never forget those 6 months of 12 hour tours and no days off. Never forget the bucket brigade searching for body parts.
This was a lovely bblog post