It was demoted, not too many years later, to be only the "1st" World War - there was a 2nd. Then a Cold. Then any number of smaller wars, albeit few deadlier than The Great War. Very few that accomplished much more than destruction.
And yet we honor our Veterans on Nov 11th, why?
Because our Veteran's go to protect us in a world full of dangers and uncertainty. Us. The people that are too young, too sick, too old, too busy, too privileged or too lucky to have to serve themselves.
In retrospect, we tend to see the Vietnam War as loss and maybe a waste. And yet, if brave men (mainly men) hadn't gone, who knows what might have happened. The Vietnam War might have turned into the "1st" Great Asian War. Destruction, war, massive civilian deaths in countries from Japan to Myanmar to Singapore to Hawaii and beyond might have followed.
We honor our Veteran's not just for what they did, but for why they did it and for what they prevented from happening. The older I get, the more I realize that. And the more grateful I am.
Luckily I have Nic, my Mom's husband to thank very directly. And others I won't name (although we just went to the West Point game with one).
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| Nic (with Eddie) in Montana |