Honoring the Veterans

*comments on this are welcome!
Today is Veteran's Day, which means we celebrate those who have fought or served in the armed forces. To me, this is a very important day that several people may overlook. This is does not make me too happy. I don't like it when people don't show respect or acknowledge what the veterans have done for this country. To me, it's very important. I remember being one of those people who kind of just knew about it for awhile, then pretty much ignored it later. Now, I have wised up. I definitely understand and respect what today is, and I'm glad I do. I can't really imagine myself not paying attention to those who have served. I know how silly this sounds, but I didn't really understand all this until after I watched "Saving Private Ryan" for the first time. This was only last October, too; the movie just absolutely slaps you. But in a good way, if that makes sense. I'd been resisting the movie for awhile, and I wasn't sure why, but it was a good thing I finally watched it. The opening sequence is a recreation of the landing on Omaha Beach, one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Watching such a thing can only be absorbed the first time around. You don't really register what you see, you just kind of see it. It is really intense. There is blood, and there is gore, but you learn to accept it for what it is and just stare at the screen. I found myself waiting to see how it all turned out. Mainly you can't do anything else but watch. I know I couldn't. I seriously didn't move the entire time I was viewing it. I remember my stomach was in a knot and that wasn't a great feeling. But I got over it. Whitnessing that gave me only a tiny hint of what it was really like. Veterans have been known to watch that and cry afterward. I can definitely see why. I have only seen the beach scene maybe three times all the way through , and if I want to see the movie again I skip the beginning. I can't watch it on t.v. either because I'll stay up all night to do so, even though I have the DVD.
So, after watching the movie in it's entirety, I felt that I had been taking the veterans' sacrifice for granted. Not just those who fought or died in WW2, but those in Vietnam, Korea, the Gulf War, and the War of today. I felt a certain amount of guilt for that, too. As strange as this may sound, everything was suddenly put into perspective for me, and I realized just how dang important all that stuff was. It suddenly had more meaning than the terms in a textbook I always studied. I have always had an interest in history, but it took me this long to actually realize how important it was...
For that, I apologize to the veterans. I sort of feel like I need to. I definitely thank them for protecting my country and fighting those wars so that I may live in a peaceful world.
Thank-you, to all soldiers and veterans from all conflicts.
I feel indebted to you.