Veterans day by a Veteran

Ten years ago, When someone would say "Veteran" I thought of some grey haired man telling war stories. I never would have imagined myself being a veteran. It's still weird sometimes to say "Yes, I'm a Veteran".

Anyways, that's not really the reason for this post. It's to say Thank You to those who have served our great country. It's to say Thank You to businesses that support our service members and Veterans on Veterans Day and every other day of the Year.

Here is a list of businesses that honor those who have Honored our county with their service:

Applebees is giving away a free meal to all veterans and service members.

Need2Speed in Redding, Ca is doing a promotion for Veterans. Click HERE to see their deal.

Chili's, Golden Corral, Outback, Logans, Marie Calendars, and Home depot are doing various promotions across the country.

Steve Barnes Painting gives a 10% discount Year round. Click HERE to see their deals.

This is just a very small list that I was able to gather today. If you know of other businesses that offer deals or discounts to Veterans, please share that in the comments!

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Now that is taken care of, I want to share some thoughts and ideas about Veterans that have been on my mind recently:

On Veterans Day, NO Veteran should have to work unless they want to. It's one day out of the year. Managers, small business owners, employers... Take a moment to thank any veterans that work for you. Thank them for your right to have a profitable business and the freedom to conduct that business.

On Veterans Day, Unless you are doing a promotion for Veterans or service members, either take the day off and attend a ceremony or simply close the store for one day with a sign "In observation of Veterans Day, we will not be open."

On Veterans Day, every person you see with a Veteran bumper sticker, hat, pin, or anything else indicating they served our Country, Stop what you are doing say "Thank You", and shake their hand. It takes less than ten seconds. If you have kids, make sure they say thank you as well.

On Veterans Day, realize that there are wives who don't have a husband coming home to them anymore. There are children who don't have a mom or dad anymore. There are parents who had to bury their child. There are brothers and sisters who only have a picture to hold and look at instead of being able to touch the face of a brother or sister who gave their life for our Country.

Lastly, on Veterans Day, take just one minute to say a prayer for those who haven't made it home yet. Pray for the quick and safe return of our everyday heroes who make our life a little bit easier each and every day.

As we said in the Navy, "May you have fair winds, and following seas".

Underdogs and Misfits

I was born and raised on the west coast. In Northern California, Giants fans are prevalent without a doubt. However, Giants pride diminished over the past 15 years. I think it started with Will Clark leaving. He was the proverbial Giant in my eyes. He was a nice guy, a team player, and he also played the same position as me... First base.
But then, something bad happened... Barry Bonds showed up. Have you seen the before and after photos of him? When he played for the Pirates, he was a itty bitty thang. and after he stole the single season record and the all time HR record, he looks like one huge muscle with a tiny head on top.

Barry Bonds put such a bad taste in my mouth for not only the Giants, but baseball too. He cheated. There is no gray area here either. He took drugs that gave him an unfair advantage against those other players who stayed on the straight and narrow. Needless to say, I quit rooting for the Giants and quit watching baseball.

But then, something strange, unusual, and wonderful happened.... We have a long haired pitcher who wears a bow tie, and another pitcher who looks like Zach Galifianakis. Who would have thought that a bunch of misfits and underdogs would win the world series??? I won't lie and say I did.

BUT, somehow, they won. What was it? Teamwork? yep! Determination? yep! a team that wasn't tainted by steroids? OH YEAH!!!

Needless to say, I love baseball again, I love the Giants again. Maybe this time around, sports can gain they awesomeness by taking a good look at who the Giants are and why they won. Now the wait until the next season starts. Until then, enjoy watching football basketball, and hockey! Go Kings! GO Sharks! eh crap, go... niners and raiders? Sigh