Veterans Day

When I think of Veterans Day, I quite often tend to overlook my own almost 22 years in the Army National Guard with one combat deployment to northern Iraq in 2004 and another deployment to U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2008.

On my dresser at home is a 1/48 scale plastic airplane model of a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress named “Chowhound.” 

I think about the men who flew aircraft like that over Europe during World War II, never knowing if that last combat mission they were on would be their last.

That day I stepped off the bird in Kuwait and wondered if I would see home again ... that’s when the realization hit me: would I see home again? See my kids? 

The realization (my first sergeant referred to as “the pucker factor”) intensified as we made our way to Mosul, Iraq, in the next several days, seeing the evidence of war along the way, wondering if our convoy was going to be hit next.  

My time in the service, it’s there but this time of year comes around, I tend to think about all the veterans that came before me in conflicts such as the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam. 

Then, there are those who served in the military but didn’t see combat. They did their time and should be thanked for that. 

It’s the time of year when you take a moment — or really should, anyway — and you think about so much service and sacrifice. 

There’s a lot of people who took a weapon out and laid their life on the line while in service to this country. 

I’m but one but there are many, many, so many more. 

To my fellow veterans, I salute you and your service. 

Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].