When I was a boy it was not uncommon to see World War I “dough boys” in parades. They looked very old then, however my Grandfather was older, being too old for WWI but not old enough for the Spanish American war. I can also remember seeing headlines where the One of the Last Remaining Civil War Veteran Dies.
My father was a WWII vet and his kind are a dying breed. Even Korean vets are elderly and the few of my friends that lived through the Viet Nam War are rapidly approaching retirement.
Perhaps it is the coming new year, or perhaps I miss my Dad, but I am feeling quite down about this passing of the generations and the knowledge that I am part of this march into the future.
This week, as the old year ends and we wonder what will come in the next one, I am a little sad.