Why aren't all veteran's given a paid holiday on THEIR day?

I had to go alone to the 90th Annual Fresno Veterans Day parade this year. My husband had to work. He's a veteran, and I am not. It seemed so unfair. He and countless other veterans are supposed to be honored on Veterans Day. I know that some small business owners might not be able to give a paid holiday to their workers, but how about at least granting them a flexible schedule to attend activities meant to honor their service?

As I watched the parade, people all around me were shouting to service men and women, "Thank you for your service!" I could not help but think what a shame it was that my husband was not able to share in that joy. There is a comraderie among veterans that is deep and unspoken. A shared pain that the rest of us can never completely understand.

I am so thankful to and proud of our military, past and present. They sacrifice for us all. They do what most of us cannot. That is, they accept the task of going anywhere, under any circumstances, to do whatever is necessary to ensure that we can all feel secure in our homeland. Because they do their duty, we do not encounter tanks and soldiers on our streets, nor do we have to show documents at checkpoints or worry that we will be caught out after curfew. We live our lives freely and out in the open.

Thank you to our military men and women. May God bless them and keep them safe!