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.

So I’m in Boston now. Moved up in mid-August this year (Texas summers can suck it). Needless to say, it’s awesome. My wife is attending Harvard Business School, and I’ve opened up our New England/East Coast office. There’s been a lot to adjust to — learning to work away from the hive that is The Starr Conspiracy headquarters, expanding our network and reach into a new region, supporting Erin as she navigates an amazing opportunity and learning environment, and drinking all the beers I’ve never heard of and can’t get in Texas. Among those four things, I’m pretty much left with no time to do anything else.