My day today was spent doing something I didn’t think I would do … which was think about a brief trip to the nation’s capital to receive thanks for my service to the nation.

The Honor Flight about which I have written on this blog is at hand. The Honor Flight is the 63rd such venture from the Dallas/Fort Worth area to Washington, D.C. We depart early tomorrow from Love Field. Our plane will carry 45 military veterans and “guardians” assigned to assist with anything under the sun that we might need on our whirlwind visit.

We’re going to hit the ground in a full sprint when we arrive in D.C. I don’t know the precise itinerary, but I am aware it will include the major memorials and monuments along the National Mall. We will see the World War II memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the MLK Jr. Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery (including the changing of the guard).

I need to mention the Reflecting Pool, the one that’s been in the news after Donald Trump messed it up by trying to dye the water blue, only to have it turn out green.

I am anxious to see it all and to share some of my not-very-exciting military story with fellow vets.

We’re going to get lots of thank you greetings from strangers, or so I have been told. They will deliver thanks for our service, much of which we didn’t get when we returned home when we were so much younger. The nation was not used to “losing” a war and many Americans blamed soldiers like me for the failed policies we were ordered to carry out. Don’t misunderstand: I didn’t get spit on when I got home, but I did get a wide range of indifference from strangers when I informed them of my then-recent history, which involved a brief tour of duty in Vietnam.

The good folks who arranged this Honor Flight assure us that’s all about to change. I am ready to accept all the love I expect to receive.