I Am A Veteran! (author unknown)

I am a veteran. I have not been to the traditional wars like you see on the movies. The war I was in was the COLD WAR. And if you think we didn't see action, you are gravely mistaken. It was not uncommon for the Russians to send their fighter jets and their submarines into our air space and waters. As you slept soundly in your beds and went to the park to play with your kids, WE were out there scrambling to protect you at ANY cost.
When you went to work in the morning, we were already half way around the world, going to a conflict called Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, Egypt, Cypress. We were standing on the borders of Europe, protecting you from nuclear bombs.
While you were preparing dinner, we were out there fighting the floods and forest fires and saving homes and families in the path of ...destruction.
While you slept safely in your bed, we were comforting a brother in the field who was mortally wounded. A field you will never read about or hear about.
While you lived your life, we protected your country from the evils out there that you never knew about.
Our stories seem unbelievable to you because it was never in the media and it was a secret thing that we did to protect you. We did not have the Highway of Heroes. No one stood for our fallen except the families of the fallen. No one welcomed us home. No one thanked us. No one saw us.
We were the invisible that you didn't want to know about. You didn't want to know what we did and you didn't care. Just as long as you could have your life you were happy.
Now, as we suffer the wounds of wars that you didn't know about, you still do not see us.
I AM a VETERAN!