My Grandfather served in the US Army during World War I; my father served during the Korean War. I grew up saluting the flag and being proud to be an American. Patriotism was a given in our household. Respect for God and country was a natural, expected, and unquestioned thing.

Then came the Vietnam…  uh… The Vietnam…  hhmmmm….. What is the politically correct term today? Was it a conflict? A war? Or what? Whatever it was, it effectively divided our population. Only in the shocking aftermath of 9/11/2001 did Americans get their heads out of the sand to rally around the flag.

Today our military is once again “involved” overseas. Personally, I don’t like it one bit. But I’m not climbing up on my soapbox to launch into a political diatribe. I am an American, and I support our troops. And today, Veteran’s Day 2009, I pray for each and every one of them to come home safely. And soon.