This veteran (a corporal, DWB) does not celebrate Veterans Day:

I do not celebrate Veterans Day even though I was a Marine in Vietnam in 1967-68. I now suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). My dad was in WWII and the Korean War and within ten years of retirement drank himself into poor health and died at the young age of 56…I did CPR on my dad the day he died. My oldest brother drank himself into poor health and died at the young age of 68. He served in Vietnam too. We all three, in my opinion, suffered from this terrible mental affliction. I did not serve my country in any meaningful way nor did my poor dad and brother. We were casualties of war. Do not thank me for my service, we were not heroes no matter what stupid medal they have given us. You can be brave and not serve your country in any meaningful way; a sad fact of life. Most of the praise is well intentioned by people who never saw combat and are ignorant. People who were in war zones and looking for praise are ego driven small minded frauds. Some who “served” and accept this false praise do so out of ignorance and lack of historical perspective…I have met some of them and feel rather sorry for them. Most cannot be reached with logic and historical perspective. So I will tell my therapist that I will go into hiding this Veterans Day just like I did last year.

The Best of Laurence M. Vance