Although rabid right-wing patriots shoulder their Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles and peer through the sights when they hear me say it, I'm a veteran.
Today’s my day. Veterans Day — the only holiday I can celebrate because of a decision I made for myself rather than because someone else was born or died, or some battle was won or begun.
I want to thank all of the companies and institutions in America that honor the veterans on this special day. Especially the restaurants and The Home Depot.
In fact, I have set an intention to show as many of these companies and organizations as I can just how much I appreciate their respect for those of us who put our lives on the line (or at least put our lives on hold) for our country.
(Although I must say here that it disturbs me deeply that I went into the Army and faced possible death at the hands of our enemies only to see a race for the U.S. presidency during my lifetime in which one of the leading Republican candidates, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, would say in a televised debate that to trim government spending he would eliminate three federal departments, and when asked which departments, he was able to name only two. For this I suffered?)
But I digress. If I had thought ahead, like the Army tried to teach me, I could have begun accepting America’s gratitude at the very minute Veterans Day began, at 12:01 a.m. today. The MD Resort Bed and Breakfast in Aurora, Texas, a few miles west of Fort Worth (did I mention I live in Fort Worth?), was offering a free night’s stay on Nov. 10 to the first two veterans who called. I’m sure I missed that deadline.
Even missing that offer, I thought I could begin accepting the appreciation of America's businesses right after the stroke of midnight by patronizing my local Denny’s. According to themilitarywallet.com, Denny’s is offering a free Grand Slam breakfast to any veteran at “select diners” in Maryland, Virginia, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Indiana, Colorado and Washington, D.C. Alas, the offer wasn’t in effect until 6 a.m.
I find that a little un-American. A lot of vets can’t sleep through the night. Many suffer severe post-traumatic stress disorder and have terrible nightmares. Others have jobs as night guards and work the graveyard shift; they’re home and back in bed by 6 a.m. If Denny’s truly appreciated veterans, they would offer the Veterans Day special starting when the holiday starts, at 12:01 a.m.