November 11, 1951, is my birthday which I consider just another day.  I don’t like to get presents or have a party, probably because of one of my personality traits that was best described by a Myers-Briggs assessment  I took which categorized me as a “flaming introvert” (according to Eckard College who conducted the test).  But I do like to celebrate the day in honor of the men and women who served in the military in defense of our nation.  A day that when I was a young boy was originally called Armistice Day, which marked the armistice, signed between the Allies (of World War I) and Germany, that occurred at the end of the war’s hostilities.  In 1954 its name was changed to Veterans Day, a more appropriate name to honor all veterans and not just those who fought in the war to end all wars. 

Both my adopted Grandfather, George Tanneyhill (who played a major role in my upbringing), and my biological Grandfather, Ralph Reed, fought in World War I.  My adopted Grandfather was a nice, congenial man with no apparent baggage from the horrors of that war.  But from the stories I heard about my biological Grandfather (who I never met except possibly when I was a baby), he was probably suffering from what we now call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.  During my genealogical research I found that he was an Army sergeant that fought during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, considered the largest and bloodiest battle of World War I.  The battle cost the lives of over 26,000 Americans and another 95,000+ were wounded.  A countless number of other Allied troops and over 28,000 Germans also lost their lives during the battle.  I understand now why my biological Grandfather would have had difficulty in having a normal life in society (even with family members who at one time loved him) after such an experience.  

So, I’m sure you can understand why it’s not my birthday that I think about on November 11th each year.  And it’s why I will always stand up for our national anthem.  I can disagree some times with the things our politicians do, but I never hold it against the American flag and anthem which represent our country and the thousands who have died defending it.  Even with all its faults, it’s hard to find a better country to live in.  God bless the USA and the veterans on this day.