On Nov. 8, I was at the VA Medical Center. A man stopped me and said, “Thank you for your service.”

I looked at him very seriously, then said, “I don’t know what that means.”

He got testy and asked very loud, “Was you ever in the service?” I answered, “Yes.”

He replied, “Well, that’s what it means” and stormed off.

On Nov. 11, with my brother, we met a friend for lunch. When we walked in, a very happy man was standing there grinning from ear to ear.

“Guess how much my bill was today on the 11th month and the 11th day,” he asked.

So, I guessed, “Thirty-two dollars.”

“No,” he said, “It was eleven dollars and 11 cents. That’s ironic!”

I said, “You want ironic? It’s eleven o’clock.”

He said, “That’s fantastic! This is wonderful!”

The “happy man” lead us to the trough and paid for our lunch.

We all thanked the good man for his kindness and enjoyed a fine meal.

After I licked my fingers, I told the other two, “There might just be something about this number stuff. Our bill was nineteen dollars and sixty-eight cents; 1968, that’s the year the Army got me.”

My brother said, “Yeah, and if you add 11 to that, you get 1979, the year I got out of the Air Force.”

Our friend, a non-vet who works at the veteran’s hospital said, “Well, if you add 11 to 11, you get 22 and Thanksgiving comes on Thursday this year on the 22nd and we’ll get another day off, with pay.”

On Nov. 12, I was listening to the radio. A lady said, “Yesterday, Nov. 11, was Veterans Day. A lot of people think it’s today. It doesn’t matter what you think, but if you know a veteran, just tell them anytime, ’Thank you for serving.’”

My 2019 calendar came this week. Thanksgiving is on Thursday again and Veterans Day will be on Monday, Nov. 11.

My wish, at this time, is for people that feel they need to say something, please say something that sounds nice, plus makes sense. Say “Thank you for serving.”

No need to thank me. You’re welcome.

— Whitey Harwood

Rowan County