A Veteran’s TakeScattered Thoughts Part IBy Curtis HendelRecently, I had the opportunity to be sitting on a lake on a Friday night that was unusually quiet and beautiful. We had gone there for a short time to get away from the world, and after an especially hectic week both of us really needed it. At this point in time my brain had shut down for the first time in a long while, and I just stared into the distance over the quiet lake. I noticed everything: the fish jumping to get some supper, the pelican floating on the water, and the tree line on the far shore.The serenity lasted about ten minutes, and then I started to wonder about everything bad going on in the world. I also wondered how it could be that I was one of the fortunate ones living in safety and comfort back in the States while so many of our loved ones are fighting a war overseas for our very survival as a country. I also felt an odd sense of guilt for the fact that I had served my time in the military during relative peace and had been stateside for the first Gulf War. Overall I had an immense sense of appreciation for my place in the world on that night.The fifth anniversary of the heinous attacks on our nation of Sept. 11 is right around the corner. That was a day that we will all remember in our own way in our own minds. It is strange how it seems like those attacks were yesterday, and, on the other hand, it seems as though they were years in the past. Funny how time can twist memories and send human emotions in a spiral.We have been through a lot as a nation in five years, and the state of war is wearing on us even though it touches few of us personally. There is no rationing of items or scrap steel drives that there had been in the past and, most importantly, no military draft. Most of us are just living our lives as we did before the attack and our cares are more for ourselves than for others.There are members of our community with loved ones in the combat zone or serving in the military. They are the ones that can feel the burden of this war more than anyone other than the service members themselves. They and their soldier, sailor, airman or Marine are following in the footsteps of other great Americans that have marched off to war in so many armed conflicts throughout our history.The War on Terror is relatively new to us; we have been at war for just short of five years. Our enemy, though, has been at war with us for a much longer time frame. We entered their sights decades ago, and war declared on us has obsessed them ever since. To Be Continued