DCFOUNTAIN.COM

OK, I recently confessed to a friend. Maybe I AM just a tad cranky these days. But it’s only because I haven’t slept a full night in more than five years. Sleep aids, home remedies and even new mattresses have failed to do the trick. This friend who knows me – and my politics – well insists the culprit is none other than my deep-rooted ancient Scottish sense of patriotism, which, he only half-jokingly suggests, may at last be assuaged once a new president takes office Jan. 20. Here’s why I’m beginning to believe he may be right…

For most Americans, Veterans Day typically is pretty much business as usual. Those lucky enough to actually have today off from work most likely will use the extra time to carry out largely mundane everyday tasks. With winter weather fast approaching, many will use the day to shop for new clothes, or catch up on household chores or errands. Some will make travel reservations for the upcoming holidays. Sadly, precious few will give a scarce thought to the reason President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 — exactly one year after the Treaty of Versailles ended World War I — first proclaimed Nov. 11 as a day to honor the nation’s war veterans.