Militarily Speaking...

I rarely speak of my military tour. It wasn't much of one. Twenty-one months in the Airforce to many folks doesn't quite define a hero, not even to me, but that's me. I spent 6 weeks in basic training with the remainder of my tour in Wichita, Kansas. I pumped gas! I rarely speak of it.

I have given this a lot of thought the last decade or so, though, wondering if I have earned the things of value that I have received from the VA. It does boggle my mind to even think of what I owe the VA for. I have some college under my belt, thanks to the VA. But what I am really grateful for is the VA saved my life in helping me to battle cancer and two heart attacks. I am alive today because of my VA benefits. 

Have I earned them? I'm still undecided on that personally. There are far more veterans that have given much more than what I have, actually sacrificed for. I was coming into the military while it was ending its role in Viet Nam and soldiers were coming home. Sadly, they came home to shit! Battle torn, their minds bent, their hearts broken, and their spirit attacked, and most, permanently disabled in some way.

Those are the soldiers that deserve to be called heroes. Those are the soldiers that deserve our respect, for always, for every deployment, for any war. I was lucky. I didn't suffer the damages of war like most. But I did benefit. Whether my heart and mind can come to conclusion and have an answer of if I earned what I received or not, well, I still can't tell you. It may not. In the meantime, I give all due respect to all those who have served and that are serving. May you all walk in peace after it's all said and done.