My father passed away about eight years ago.  He was a veteran who served in India during WWII.

He was 26 when he was drafted.  He was an aircraft mechanic and received the Bronze Star for going behind the enemy lines Burma to repair a downed plane.  My father is the second from the left in the above picture.

I too am a veteran but I have no medals.  I was drafted after graduating from college in 1968.  Yes I am a Vietnam era veteran.  After being drafted because I spoke German I was given the opportunity to sign up for an additional year and be assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency.  As a result I spent nearly three years on the frontiers of freedom in Munich Germany during the Vietnam war.

My father was a hero – I was not.  I don’t regret my so called service to the country.  As a hick from the sticks of Western Oregon my nearly three years in Europe was a life changing experience.  My evenings in the Munich taverns and beer gardens with my German friends changed my life for the better.  It was more of a educational experience than my four years of college.  So my sacrifice of three years was no sacrifice at all but an important part of my education.

So celebrate my father on this Veteran’s Day not me.