A photo of me holding the head end of a dead Burmaese Phyton that we had killed.

   FROM THE HEART OF A VIETNAM VETERAN

It seems so many have forgotten the meaning of Veterans day. But what makes it so special a day that every American should take a moment to reflect and thank those who served?
Veterans Day isn't simply about the men and women who served in the Armed Forces of this great country. It's about their sacrifices, heroism and unselfish dedication to the United States of America. It's about sacrificing their lives so someelse may live.
It's about giving their all that others may have freedom. It's about fighting in the mountains, jungles and desserts in a foreign land, in the hope the same battles will never have to be fought in their homeland. It's about fighting oppression to allow others the power to express their opinions and views, without fear of reprisal and sanction.
It's about vowing "to leave no one behind" and carrying a comrade in arms from the battlefield on their shoulders in the hopes he will live, but knowing that at the very least, he will be buried in his beloved country.
It's about enduring the horror of war in the hopes your children will never have to do the same. It's about lying in the mud, or sand or in a hole, and praying that the shelling will end. And looking at your buddies alongside you, and wispering words of hope and encouragement. It's about beng dead tired and still finding the strength to go on, sometimes when the odds are so heavy againt you that it almost appears hopeless. It's about the doctors and nurses who endure hell with you and work tirelessly tending the wounded. It's about visiting a buddy in the hospital and reassuring him that he'll be OK. It's about writting a letter home for someone who will never return home. It's about writing that letter for yourself, just in case you are one of the unlucky ones, and putting it in your pack where it would be found.
No, Veterans Day isn't simply a specified moment in time. It's a day where every one of us needs to thank those who served this great country, both the living and those who have passed on. Those of us who served will never forget them, please take a moment to remember them too.

The Vietnam Veteran who wrote this wishes to remain anonymous.