Today is Veterans Day and I hope that you are recognizing it in some way, large or small.

Today is Veterans Day and I will fly the flag. I always try to fly the flag on key dates- Memorial Day, Independence Day, 9/11, Dec 7, Veterans Day.

I hope that my kids and others will see the flag flying today and know why it is on display. Or maybe they will ask why if they do not know. I am shocked how little it seems that people know about their country and its history.

My dad was a WW2 veteran. My uncle as well. My remaining uncle was a veteran of the Korean War. I have known and admired many veterans of Vietnam and later wars and conflicts. I respect them all.

So few kids today understand the sacrifice that comes with being in the military. Often the commitment brings with it the requirement of putting your life on the line to fight for this country- your country and, sure as can be, their country. I will likely never know what that feels like, what that means, but I can still do my best to appreciate it and recognize it whenever possible.

I do not think that our fighting men really ever lost a war. That was done by politicians.

I do not think that, as some may contend, Korea and Vietnam were senseless engagements that simply threw away all those lives. I firmly believe that those men and the lives they committed and in some cases lost did so in the all-important fight against communism. I am naïve that way.  I do believe in the domino theory and I believe that our responses and commitments were instrumental in showing the Chinese and the Soviets that we would not simply stand by as communism rolled across border after border, across the non-communist world. And I believe that ultimately, though years later, those efforts and that sacrifice led to the defeat of communism.

And for that all of those veterans deserve our unwavering support, recognition and deepest appreciation.

No, communism is not dead but it was defeated. It lives still in the world and it lives on within our own borders and if we are not careful and vigilant it could rise again. And Putin would gladly take the lead.

Militant Islam (or whatever you choose to call it) is visibly on the rise yet we seem to only react to it and not take the lead in beating it down as well. It will not die, it will likely never die. It has not for well over one thousand years so it must be met and defeated time and time again.

And at this time of vigilance we have reduced our defense spending and military preparedness to uncomfortably low levels and I worry for our future.

And I cannot speak about the treatment of our veterans by the VA. That is simply too reprehensible and needs to be fixed for good.

On this day I simply wish to recognize our veterans and their families and the sacrifices that they have made for their country, this country; for people like me and my wife and my kids and so many others who they will never know.

May God bless you all and may God continue to bless this country; our country; the country that you have served so well to honor and protect.

We are still standing because of all of you. Thank you from my family; thank you for my children.