It used to be Armistice Day when I was a kid. Somebody changed the name, but the meaning is the same. At eleven o'clock in the morning on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the guns of World War One went silent and it was over, or so we thought.

That should not read 'we,' because it was in my Grandpa's time, not mine.

The troubles of WW I were not really settled well, and as a result the stage was set for WW II, which followed a generation later.

There have been so many wars. There have been so many casualties, both military and civilian, but the First World War was a true slaughter.

Legions of men got up from their trenches and walked across barren, mud-covered no-man's-lands and were mowed down by machine guns and artillery. The artillery shelling was constant and some of the projectiles carried deadly mustard gas and phosgene, which killed with excruciating pain and misery.

Disease in the front lines was rampant and nearly as many soldiers died of illnesses as died in battle. Over a million French and German troops died in a single battle alone - Verdun.

It was a horrible war, as most wars are, but even more so than you can imagine.

Recently, the last British soldiers who fought in WW I passed away. I don't know if there are any more living survivors of it in the USA, but if there are, their time is short.

I remember long ago when the last soldier of the Spanish-American War died. Now the men of WW I are gone. The WW II veterans are thinning away.

Two of my living uncles were sailors in the US Navy in WW II. They are in their 80s and... well.

Veterans' Day is special. It salutes the living, the survivors.

They deserve this day. And as one veteran to all of the others, I salute you.

HUAH!

.........

I'm adding this...

I woke up groggy this morning. Must have been congested or something and slept fitfully. My brain is not fully deployed today. When I drove to Kroger to stock up the week's cat food I nearly took a wrong turn. In this little town? A wrong turn?

The cats notice. They are looking at me like I was Donald Duck. Satchel scoots away when I walk past him.

Hmmm?

I have the third session of my painting class tonight. When I scheduled it last month it escaped my mind that the 11th was a holiday. I hope everyone shows up.

I bought a big yellow type acorn squash last week and forgot about it. I should cut it, gut it, add brown sugar and olive oil and bake the crap out of it today. I won't have time to cook tonight. The thing is larger than a melon! I love baked squash with brown sugar, molasses, butter, etc, but I can't eat butter anymore.