Happy Veterans Day - thanks for your service

I want to take a time out today to remember all of our veterans who served my country, the United States of America, and those veterans from outside the U.S. who have served your country. As I have grown older, I have my respect and admiration for your service in the military (past or present) has also grown. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all veterans from around the world.

There are some of you who are able to spend time in service to your country at military units in your own country and perhaps close to your home, if you are lucky. In today's day and age, you often have deployments to military bases overseas, away from your home, family, and friends. While the internet may make keeping in touch with your loved ones easier than it was 40 years ago, it is not the same as being there.

I am not a veteran and have never been in the miltary. My Dad served stateside after the Koren War ended. No, I don't have a clue what it is like to serve in areas where there is a conflict. Please know that your service and your sacrifice mattered.

Over the years that I have been writing this blog, I know that there are some wildland firefighters both in the air and on the ground who have spent some time in the military. And here you are serving your country once again as wildland firefighters.