Eleventh Day, Eleventh Month

[Urbane Guerrilla]

November the eleventh is Veterans' Day in the United States. Once we called it Armistice Day, and it got its name from the ceasefire at the end of the Great War.

I put my Navy Veteran hat on; the wife put her Navy Retired hat on. Today happened to be my day for duty as lay Eucharistic Minister at church -- time was, we included "Lay" in the title for the friendly acronym LEM, but no more, and really too bad, I think. During the Prayers of the People, I made particular mention of one of our fellow parishioners' relatives who is out there at the sharp end and has been a fixture on the prayer list for a long time. After the service I found we had another parishioner's nephew just assigned to duty in Iraq. We will be remembering these in our prayers.

Treating our armed forces members properly is a thing that is bonding a society that had been struggling with centrifugal effects for some while now. Whatever our squawks and squabbles, there's more a sense of "us" in America these days than once there was. It's a good thing.

BigV and I fight like wombats over about every second question of policy, foreign and domestic. I still like him for his kind remarks about veterans, how long ago now? (I ain't sayin'.) A guy shows his heart is in the right place, that counts, and for a lot.

A good many of us are more united on the fundamentals than we ever let on. But it won't hurt -- not much -- to let on, on occasion. It's not too long now until Thankful Turkey Day. I think I'm going to keep my blessings in mind.

To all the Dwellars who went to the trouble of wearing their country's uniform and learning to salute, remember that we thank you, and heartily. There were other things you might have chosen to do, but you spent some time being your society's protectors.