FIRST PERSON | I spent more than 20 years serving my country in the U.S. Air Force and for the most part loved every second of it. As a broadcast journalist working under the auspices of the American Forces Radio and Television Service, I felt (and still feel) I had the most awesome job imaginable.
Traveling to and being stationed in places I'd only dreamed of, meeting people from all walks of life and of every color and creed, working alongside service members from the Army, Navy and Marines, I don't hesitate to say that thanks to my military service I had the opportunity of seeing myself grow and mature. The old adage that "Time flies when you're having fun" seems more than appropriate to me because now that I think of it, my time in service went by way too fast.
I spent my career overseas and serving around the world, and outside of a visit or two to Disney World and a few training school opportunities, never set foot in the U.S. for more than two decades. After I retired, I continued living Europe. I can tell you as an ex-pat living overseas, Veterans Day, like a lot of American holidays, certainly doesn't become less important, but when you're not living in a like-minded culture, these special days can lose some of their impact and become easily forgotten.
That all changed after my family and I recently moved back to the U.S.
While overseas, I would never have dreamed of flying an American flag outside of my home. On my first morning back, while walking down the street, I was at a loss for words, literally choking up seeing American flags brilliantly waving outside of practically every home and business.
People are proud of veterans and whether they served for one tour or a career, whether it was a month ago or decades back, veterans and their sacrifice are not taken for granted. I lost sight of that after being out of the U.S. for so long. And I fully believe that if you haven't "been there" you can't really appreciate it.
Veterans Day has more significance for me now than ever before. The foundation of much of our freedom is thanks to the efforts and sacrifice of generations of service members who came before me. I am certainly no hero. Whatever I contributed during my military career pales in comparison to the true heroes of our times who paid for our freedom with their lives. But I am honored to be part of the special fraternity which is the U.S. military.
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