Thank you veterans

It’s Veterans Day.

Here’s to all who served.

It’s interesting to consider the breadth of service from those in my life.

My dad served two years just before Vietnam.

I had buddies enlist after high school, some who didn't have a great experience.

One of my favorite stories was my old community editor at the Tonawanda News, Mike Strasser. He came to me one day in about 1997 and put in his 2-week notice so he could join the reserves.

“It’s the only way I am ever going to finish my college degree” he said.

I shook his hand and wished him well. His eyes filled with tears.

“You're the only person in my life who didn’t try to talk me out of it,” he said.

He got his degree, did some time as a photographer at West Point and works on the civilian side, last I knew at Fort Drum.

It worked out well for most of the people I have known over the years, including my nephew Michael who served as a Navy Medical Corpsman and then used the GI Bill to get his Masters at Johns Hopkins.

To all who served, and those who didn’t make it home or ended up wounded, thank you.