Let the parade begin

The older I get, the more I seem to notice when it's Veterans Day.

I don't tell war stories, but at a time in our nation's past when we still abducted young men off college campuses, I was drafted into the U.S. Army and spent a year in Vietnam. I was 21 years old when it happened and 23 when my active duty ended -- what should have been two of the best years of my life, taken away.

There were no tickertape parades for Vietnam vets when we returned home. I was proud, though, that I had done my duty. The wars in the Middle East seem to have given Americans a renewed appreciation for the men and women who have served their country.

At the TCU-Army football game last month, the university honored the area's Vietnam vets. From the bottom of this vet's heart, I want to say thank you, Frogs.

My personal, unofficial top five athletes who served their country:

1. Tom Landry -- flew 30 combat missions as a B-17 pilot in World War II. Shot down, survived, and went on to coach a little football.

2. Ted Williams -- who knows how many hits the Splendid Splinter would have had, had he not spent parts of five seasons (and two wars) as a Marine Corps pilot?

3. Roger Staubach -- Navy officer, served in Vietnam, then went on to Pro Football Hall of Fame.

4. Pat Tillman -- Cardinals safety, spurned NFL contract to volunteer as Army Ranger and was killed in Afghanistan.

5.  Rocky Bleier -- Steelers star wounded and earned Purple Heart in Vietnam.