I understand where you're coming from, James. Like you, I didn't serve for the thanks of the folks at home. In fact, I'm always very slightly uncomfortable when someone thanks me for my service, because I feel that I, as a veteran of Gulf Wars Episode 1, did much less than my fathers, who were in Viet Nam, or my grandfathers, who were in WWII.

At the same time, I think that civilians won't understand unless they ask, and we tell them. And one way to tell them that we're open to being asked, that we'll tell them, is to wear our decorations at the appropriate times.

And it doesn't hurt to remember our friends who didn't come home. So the more I think about it, the more I think I will get a ribbon bar to wear on my scrubs on memorial day and veteran's day.