That’s today in case you are wondering there is no mail.

This is a day thank all veterans of all ages whether they fought in a war or not.

This year, as last, it crosses my mind that some veterans of the various 21st Century wars the US has engaged in regret their decision to serve.

That includes the ones who suffered grievous injuries both mental and physical, but also those that suffered no adverse effects other than the separation from Kith and Kin, lost job opportunities, missed holidays, missed births of their children, missed everything.

Since the end of World War 2, the political leaders of this country seem to have lost the will to actually win a war. The Korean “Police Action” is still going on, in Vietnam defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory, Desert Storm  stopped without deposing Saddam Hussein, Operation Iraqi Freedom deposed and ultimately executed Hussein, but that war went on far longer than it should after “victory” was declared.

Afghanistan shows what happens when you fail to utterly destroy an enemy’s ability to wage ware as well as his will to fight. 20 years of “nation building” among a people who had no desire to build a nation or defeat their enemy resulted in more lives lost, billions of dollars wasted, equipment turned over willy nilly to the enemy, and the people who did want to build a nation and fight the enemy abandoned to their fate.

As a result, decades long allied nations are rearming themselves as they look over their shoulders to see if their “American Allies” are there to back them up.

For those who think that we should withdraw from world an isolate ourselves, I say that the world is too small, travel is too easy, and being isolated from much of the rest of the world by two big oceans means absolutely nothing in the Twenty First Century.

Despite all of the foregoing, people still sign up for and stay in the military. Not as many as used to and not as many as should, but maybe enough.

I admire them, but I also don’t blame those that don’t who see what the military and civilian leadership have done to the military services over the past twelve or so years.

So, veteran or active duty, I salute all of you.