Veterans Day 2009

This year was our first as parents of a soldier. Ask me what I felt today on Veterans Day and I'd tell you it was mixture of pride, appreciation and a dash of apprehension.

There's a strong feeling of pride at having a member of the family serving in the armed forces. I wasn't thrilled at first about Jordan enlisting in the Army (I favored the Navy, reasoning that if were on a boat perhaps he'd be far, far away from the action in the Iraq and Afghanistan), but I've since come around to understanding his reasons for joining and supporting his decision as the right one for him.

On a day like this it's easy to appreciate the individual servicemen and servicewomen who have answered the call throughout our nation's history. Our troops have taken on big, dangerous missions and as well as smaller, tedious tasks in service to our country's varying objectives over the years.

But it is the fact that we are enmeshed in two wars with uncertain outcomes that gives me pause, that makes me feel apprehensive about the short- and long-term future. Invading Iraq, despite the lack of WMDs, proved to be an unwelcome intrusion into a civil war, with Sunnis and Shiites alternately fighting themselves and us. Invading Afghanistan and failing to pursue our stated objective -- the hunt for Osama bin Laden -- to a successful conclusion has left us in a real mess eight years later.

I pray that President Obama and his advisers can come up with a strategy that makes sense for Afghanistan. I find myself wavering again lately, asking myself if any increase in troops will secure the country, keep the Taliban and al-Qaida at bay, and create an environment where democracy can take hold. It's been such a costly war, both in terms of lives and cost.

Obama paid a visit to Arlington National Cemetery today but it was his appearance at Fort Hood a day earlier that really moved me. He paid tribute, by name, to each of the 13 people killed at the Army base a few days earlier.

"Neither this country — nor the values that we were founded upon — could exist without men and women like these 13 Americans," Obama said. "Their life's work is our security and the freedom that we too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — that is their legacy."

Later, he added:

"As we face these challenges, the stories of those at Fort Hood reaffirm the core values that we are fighting for, and the strength that we must draw upon. Theirs are the tales of American men and women answering an extraordinary call -- the call to serve their comrades, their communities, and their country. In an age of selfishness, they embody responsibility. In an era of division, they call upon us to come together. In a time of cynicism, they remind us of who we are as Americans."

For a day, at least, I could hope we could overcome our differences and honor the men and women who wear the uniform for all of us.

Photo: John Raedle/Getty Images.