Our view: Veterans Day

"I haven't done anything yet," he said.

He would, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans of those wars are the most recent of the many we can thank today.

In a piece for Parade magazine, retired Gen. Colin Powell wrote, "Many people refer to the World War II generation as the greatest one, but we've had greatness in every single generation of Americans who have served."

That's a heartening thought.

So is this from Powell: "GIs are driven by another allegiance that is just as fierce: to their buddies. During training they learn to rely on each other for food, for security, for support. They know that they will live, and possibly die, together. ... It's a form of bonding you can't find anywhere else.

"This bond goes beyond the troops. I heard about a young boy, an Army brat. His family moved to a new community, and when he showed up at his new school, the teacher introduced him by saying, 'It must be hard finding a new home every couple of years.' He answered, 'No, ma'am. We always have a home; we're just looking for a house to put it in.' "

We can't replicate that bond in civilian life. But we can learn from it. Powell wrote that beyond our thanks and respect today, we should talk and listen to our veterans, particularly veterans of combat, and support outfits that help those in need -- as encouraged by Susan Bomalaski's Compass on this page.

"Invite them to our schools so they can share their experiences and teach our children that we all must take care of each other, on the battlefield and in life," Powell wrote.

That same Marine who felt he was being thanked for what he hadn't done yet later returned from combat duty in Iraq and said in frustration about U.S. politics, "I don't hear anybody talking about the common good."

Our veterans can tell us something about how it works. We ought to listen.

BOTTOM LINE: Thanks to our veterans for their service -- and for what they still have to offer.