When they were very young, they crossed the beaches at Guadalcanal and Dieppe; at Tarawa and Pelaliu; at Normandy and Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
When they were very young, they fought in the snow and ice at Inchon and Pork Chop Hill; in the heat of the Ih Drang Valley, the jungles of the Delta and the devastated boulevards of Hue.
When they were very young, they rolled through the deserts of Kuwait and — most recently — into the streets of Baghdad and Basra.
When they were very young, they kept the Cold War peace at Checkpoint Charlie and the Korean DMZ — and with numberless, mind-numbing yet critically necessary deterrence patrols: In B-52s in the air, and in the strategic submarine fleet beneath the sea.
Some will be forever young, of course, such was their sacrifice — but their day comes in May, with the laying of the wreaths.
Today, America honors its living veterans — 25 million strong.
"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm," George Orwell once noted.
Young men, he might have added. And — today — young women.
The nation is again at war.
Those who once were young, and who once served, take special pride in the bravery and the professionalism and the sacrifices of their successors.
Just as America takes pride in its veterans — and always will.
* * *
Letters to the Editor, New York Post, November 11, 2004 --
Your Page One photograph of the Marine hit me between the eyes ("Smokin'," Nov. 10).
This guy is all-GI.
That dirty face, the whiskers on his unshaven face, the cut on the bridge of his nose, the dangling cigarette and the 1,000-yard stare in those battle weary eyes tell the story of what's really going on in Fallujah.
His features are reminiscent of the renowned World War II GI that Mattel replicated to make its GI Joe.
Forget about these Pentagon generals with their spotless dress uniforms, spit-shined shoes, $100 haircuts and shiny, manicured nails.
This guy's nails and hands are laced with blood. His sweaty body smells from sleeping in the sand. His breath stinks from eating field rations.
As the winds of November blow across Indiana, I sit comfortably drinking coffee as this guy, and thousands of other GIs, bravely and valiantly battle throughout the filth and stench of these Fallujah neighborhoods.
You are the best, and we think of you in the spirit of Veterans Day.
Earl Beal
Terre Haute, Ind.
Thank you, New York Post, for Wednesday's cover.
Finally, a newspaper that acknowledges our soldiers and reports the good news about the war in Iraq.
I am going to frame this cover.
For the first time, I feel the pride of our soldiers and am reminded that America has the strongest military in the world.
Our soldiers need more positive coverage as a reminder to the American people that they are in Iraq, ready, willing and able to win the War on Terror.
America needs to stand together, and the media should start covering the good news coming out of Iraq.
Misty Sawyer
Manhattan