Congratulations! You're a Corporal!

Although Veterans' Day honors all veterans, we forget the eleventh day of the eleventh month originally honored the end of what was optimistically called "The War to End All Wars." No one could imagine the human race being so insane as to fight each other after that war of airplanes, gas, and biological warfare. Fighting again would surely destroy the world.

My great-uncle was in that war. He was a country boy, and that was a good things. First, the soldiers were drilling with sticks: there weren't enough guns. My Uncle Roy had hunted his whole life, so he had an obvious advantage over the poor city boys who were shipped to France, handed a gun, and sent into combat.

An officer asked, "Can anybody here drive?" and my Uncle Roy raised his hand. "Congratulations. You're a corporal!" he said.

To all veterans: thank you.