I’m a Navy veteran and today is Veteran’s Day.
I don’t mention this to fish for “Thank you for your service” comments. I don’t actually want them. No offense, mind you, but you might understand why in a bit.
No, I say this because it’s a day that actually makes me very uncomfortable.
You see, while I’m a veteran, I served during peacetime. I served at a time when the Twin Towers still stood tall but after the specter of the Soviets had gone away.
We’d already kicked the crap out of Iraq before I signed on the dotted line, though my National Service Medal stems from Desert Storm. I served during our missions in Somalia–in particular, Blackhawk Down–and operations in Bosnia, but I wasn’t there for any of it.
And honestly, Veteran’s Day makes me feel very odd.
Continue reading “Confessions Of A Peacetime Veteran”