I was drafted after losing my student deferment due to low grades (in 1969), but chose to enlist in the Air Force to perhaps avoid the rice paddies of Vietnam... and sheer luck allowed me to miss southeast Asia.
I had never been on a plane until I flew from Des Moines to San Antonio for basic training, and had certainly not ever been overseas. So the two years in England soon after Kathleen and I married were a combination foreign office job and extended honeymoon... which ended with a baby and a return to the States.
In almost all respects, my military service was incredibly lucky and the time away from "the world" gave me some time to grow up a bit. Still in that process, but things are looking promising.
Sunday at church there will be tributes to those who served and I will stand with the rest of the Air Force veterans, most of whom will be my age or older. I can't say I am proud of my service time, exactly. I didn't have much choice (other than to choose a four-year enlistment over two years in the Army).
I will say that my three-year investment in the service, however, repaid me multiple times through that GI Bill support, along with providing an amazing start to our marriage.
We really only had each other. Even calling home was a chore involving lots of British coins and an old phone box in Lakenheath village. Kathleen received $100 per month as a dependent, and my pay was $300 per month starting in 1972 (thanks, Richard Nixon). That was a nice bump since pay was $100 per month when I started six months prior.
Why we decided to have Lesley at our young age and with almost no financial cushion is a mystery to me at this point. Did we talk it all out? Did we create a clear plan? Or did we just say, "Let's do this"? I would guess the latter, and it certainly worked out for us.
Both of my grandfathers served in WWI, and neither saw any combat. I would guess that might be the story for many veterans such as myself. After all, it takes a multitude to support those infantry soldiers and combat pilots.
The Chancel Choir will sing "America" during the services Sunday and other groups will play service hymns... there will even be a tribute song from the young kids.
Any number of folks may offer a quick, "Thank you for your service," and then we can move past all that and get back to our daily lives.
I heard an interview on NPR this morning from about a decade ago with Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favorite authors, and he said he preferred the original title for Veterans Day: Armistice Day. WWI ended on November 11, 1918, at 11 p.m. That does have a nice ring: 11/11 at 11. Vonnegut fought in WWII. He is dead now. So it goes.
I am sure my grandfathers did not begrudge expanding the observance to include the wars that came after, though they may also have shaken their heads that there WERE so many wars to follow.
On balance, I am glad to have given something to the country. Perhaps the country needs to explore new ways for its young citizens to contribute time and talent and energy to our culture.
Would it heal anything? Who knows? But it would be worth a try.
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