Well, maybe "happy" isn't the word for it. Perhaps "Honorable" or "Respectful" would be better. Mind you, I'm not at all politically correct and don't get upset when "happy" is used. Just that having lost my first-born son 11 years ago in Iraq at the age of 20, it's a difficult day/weekend. I remember him all the time, but it just seems that the holiday makes me focus on the loss (event) itself. Not acutely painful, but just a very heavy feeling that is hard to shake. Tomorrow I may be back to blaming him for missing tools or hiding used pop-sickle sticks in the couch when he was a kid. (Never did figure out which kid put a sandwich in the VCR years ago.)
Anyway, thank you for the sentiment and your remembering the more than 1 million troops we have lost in our country's brief history. It boggles the mind. And each one was an individual with a life, family and friends.
Let's not forget Veteran's Day in the fall. Especially the walking wounded, a number of whom I've met. They often have the toughest job, day-to-day.
Semper Fi.
