Our Veterans Day

Today is reserved to celebrate those who have served and are currently serving our great United States of America.  We say "Happy Veterans Day," but is it indeed a "Happy" time for Veterans and our families.  As a United States Navy Veteran, I can tell you that Veterans Day is a bittersweet time for me and many others.  We mourn over the time spent away from our families, military experiences that have negatively impacted our lives, and the memories of watching others suffer and lose their lives for our country.  Realistically, those are not happy times.  However, we managed to rise above it all.  Now, survivors of military life can look back over those days and feel an intrinsic sense of pride for having pulled through and continue to overcome adversity.  It's not easy, but we are soldiers, so we can never give up the fight.  Knowing this makes me happy, and because of that I can earnestly say, "HAPPY VETERANS DAY!"