Coworker: Why not?
Me: It's Veterans' Day (Observed).
I had that conversation with as many people as possible today. I just like saying (Observed).
Both of H's grandfathers and my maternal grandfather served in the military during World War II. (My paternal grandfather was a farmer with two young daughters during WWII, so he didn't serve.)
My father and H's father both served in the military during the time of the Vietnam War. H's father was drafted and served in Vietnam. He doesn't talk about it at all, and H told me not to ask about it. My father served in the engineering corps of the Army; he was sent to Germany to rebuild bridges. He got to see a lot of Europe and has some cool pictures from his time in the Army.
After seeing Saving Private Ryan, I wondered aloud whether the military really did things like send home a soldier because he was the only surviving brother. My mom said, "Why do you think your father was sent to Germany instead of Vietnam? It was because he was the only son of a farmer."
H's brother was in the Navy, so I suppose he is a veteran, although I have never thought of him that way. The word veteran makes me think of those who have served in wars, but those who have served in peacetime have made sacrifices and put themselves in harm's way as well.
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8 comments:
Hope you had a good Veteran's Day (Observed), even if you had to work. I played Rock Band yesterday and thought of you- even though I played the drums and not the guitar. SO FUN.
Do you pronounce it in a way that the parenthesis are apparent when you say "Veteran's Day (observed)"?
I'll try that with the Queen's BD. I'll say it's the Queen's birthday (observed) or the Queen's birthday (actual).
Peppering your conversation with parentheses is the way to go!!
A friend of mine said that when I inject parenthetical comments into my conversation, she can totally see the parentheses. So I'm pretty sure you do the same thing with "(observed)." :-)
H didn't have to go to work, but he did anyway, right? Fool...
I like to note when a holiday is (observed) as well, although my company no longer (observes) it.
I used to occasionally do Saturday (observed) on a Monday, right up until my co-workers demanded that I change my habits.
I don't see what the problem is.. so what if I'm working in my underwear while watching cartoons and drinking coffee?!
I love this! How do you pronounce parantheses?
I love this! How do you pronounce parantheses?
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