11-11-11
Veteran's Day, 2011.
I salute all the men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces and the thousands who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Their service should never be forgotten.

But, every Veteran's Day, I remember my father. He was always a patriot. He said he did not consider himself an African American, but simply an American. However, he was born at the wrong time, or the right time depending on your philosophical point of view.

John Joseph Williams was born in 1906, and so was too young to enlist for World War I and when World War II came around... he was too old. He was in the "between the wars" generation. But, he always wanted to join the military and support his country. He knew history and he was well aware of the treatment Black Americans recieved at home and oversees and fought for all of his adult life for equally and respect.  But he never got to do what he thought was the right thing to do... fight FOR his country.

So, for my Daddy and all of those who stayed behind and supported the troops before, during and all the years after the battles, here is my salute on Veteran's Day.