Birthday cards are overrated.

A veteran born on Veterans Day.

I remember as a child running to the mailbox of our suburban Owensboro, KY home and salivating at the mouth about the prospect of a $5,$10 or even $20 bill. I swing open the lid to the mailbox and without looking, thrust my skinny arm upward into it, expecting all the spoils a young man’s birthday should bring. I flail my arm around inside in despair, hoping something of note is pinned to the back or curled up within reach. But the mailbox is empty. I remember jumping up and peering in. Blackness. Dark, empty blackness.

Then it all comes back to me. I was born on Veterans Day, November 11th. I did not value or fully understand it’s importance as a child. It was just another day I had to wait to receive birthday cards or presents. But now, having served in the United States Navy with some of the finest men and women I’ve ever known (and just as many pieces of shit!) I have come to realize that it wasn’t an inconvenience. Being born on Veterans Day is the greatest birthday gift of all.