Veterans Day is not a good day for me

Today is Veterans Day and as I look back on my military career and events that have taken place since my discharge in 1999, I can’t help but wonder what in the hell I was thinking. I once thought that there was a time when fighting for your country was a noble thing. It was a matter of pride.I don’t believe that anymore.
Since 2001, I cry on every 11th of September for three friends who died on that day. I cry for my mother because the government repetitiously attempts to send my brother to Afghanistan (although he has been there already) and I know she worries. I get a headache when I watch CNN’s “Breaking News” of another death. Why are we fighting a war that isn’t ours? Is oil that sacred? Can someone please hurry up and find these so-called weapons of mass destruction? I mean, it’s not like you’re looking for socks.
I don’t have $87 billion to give to people who don’t give a damn about me. Hell, I’m a broke college student. But I guess birds of a feather flock together, because if you were really concerned about your country, you’d take care of home. You would feed our own children, boost employment and disable those forces overseas and bring our families back to us.
I used to be proud to be a sailor in the U.S. Navy. For almost seven years, I wore my uniform proudly. Now, you can’t find one article of clothing in my closet that represents a time that I once smiled upon.
I’m still proud to be an American. But it’s hard to be proud when my commander in chief is too proud to back away. By the time you read this, I will have spent most of my Veteran’s Day crying again. But how will you spend Veterans Day, Mr. President? Will you cry? Or will you be in the trenches or the campaign trail?