perfidy

Yeah, I know it's tomorrow, but 1), I don't write on weekends, and 2), it's a holiday for goodness' sake.

I've been working on a Veterans' Day post for hours. I had one about how I felt regarding Veteran's Affairs call for veterans to wear their medals on civilian clothing this year.

I worked up something about it being Polish Independence Day, and was trying to tie it into the Polish Air Force getting their first batch of F-16s.

I had another one about being alone at twilight at the Antietam battlefield, and letting myself get choked up reading the names and regiments from the monuments. And one about my trip to Arlington National Cemetery when, already staggered over the scale of the place, I kept doing the arithmetic on the gravemarkers- I couldn't stop myself glancing on all sides and calculating the ages of the fallen and every one like another punch in the head reminding me that, at 25, I had already outlived them by a damn sight and I let the tears come.

But none of those posts really got me where I wanted to be, and now I'm tired and frustrated with my inability to express what I want to express.

So I'll just say this:

Thank you to every veteran of every service branch. Each of you gave up something to do your duty and I cannot thank you enough for your commitment and sacrifice, and especially those who were asked to risk what I was not.