Happy Veterans Day!

is an active duty serviceman a veteran, or are only survivors of past war considered veterans? my brother, ej, is serving in the army and he's in afghanistan. he's only a year older than me. we were really close growing up. he was kind of a rebel. didn't like to be told what he could and could not do. i was just shocked when i found out that he joined the army. now he's told what to do, where to be, when he can talk to family, and all that. we're not as close as we used to be, but i think that's because he's not as available to me as he used to be. we do talk on facebook. either we'll leave comments to eachother, or we'll chat online for short snippets of time. he's engaged to a girl named jen. i wouldn't be surprised if they get hitched just as soon as he gets back to the states in february. i've never met this girl, but the way that he talks about her makes me want to. he hasn't had the best of luck in the love department, but he says now that he knows what love is. i believe him. he's gonna be coming to california for his next assignment, which means we'll get to see him more often. more than now, for sure. of course, it's been a year since i've seen him. he came to visit at christmas last year.

thanks ej for serving our country and protecting freedom!