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July 4th is a vacation day for most people. They get together with friends and family, fire up the grill, cook some burgers and brats, have some cool drinks of their choice, bring out the lawn chairs, and sit back and watch the fireworks at the end of the day. A few people even remember to fly the flag.

July 4th is a special day in our country's history and an extra special day for me… it was my homecoming in 1967. Because of the 24-hour time difference, I left Vietnam and arrived back home in Westby on the same day. I remember seeing fireworks in the sky as we drove from the airport in Minneapolis to Westby that evening. I didn't care for them. It brought back images of other fireworks that were way too fresh in my mind. I still don't care for fireworks.

When our kids were young, they liked to watch the fireworks displays in Madison. I didn't want them to miss out on the fun just because I had an aversion to them. We sat on a hill on University Bay Drive with hundreds, if not thousands, of other people, and watched the brilliant explosions of color over Lake Mendota. There were lots of "ooohs" and "aaahs" from the assembled crowd. Even though they were across the lake, I flinched every time an airburst flashed and exploded with a sharp boom. In my mind I was transported back to a time when we didn't find much to "oooh" and "aaah" about as we watched fireworks of a different kind around us. As the July 4th bursts sometimes floated gently back to earth, lighting up the sky, I saw flares floating slowly to earth along our perimeter line, creating eerie shadows before burning out and creating a blackness that seemed to swallow me up.

As I'm reminded of all that, I wonder if some soldiers will be returning home from another war zone on this July 4th. Will this become their homecoming, complete with welcoming fireworks, just as I experienced so many years ago? Will they feel the same as I did that day as I watched the fireworks out the window of my parent's car?

There was a time that I used to feel the one saving grace of the Vietnam fiasco was that our country had learned a lesson and we would never allow our politicians to send young men and women into another political quagmire. So many of us veterans clung to that small thread. We didn't want to believe that our friends had died in vain. I still don't want to believe that.

I try to stay away from political topics and issues in this column. But what I heard on the news today cried out for comment. Congress voted to approve more than 160 billion additional dollars to continue funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But that wasn't what got to me. At the same time, they tacked on $2.7 billion to go toward disaster relief funds, new educational benefits for veterans, and an extension of unemployment compensation.

Am I the only one who thinks there's something wrong with this picture? $160 billion for war funding on foreign lands, and a "measly" $2.7 billion to help people in this country who are hurting from the disastrous flooding we just experienced, have lost their jobs in this depressed economy, or need more education to get ahead. What wonders could we accomplish if we reversed those numbers. $160 billion to help people in this country and $2.7 billion to fund the two wars we're engaged in. It's a subject I think we should all give some thought to on this birthday of our country.

How many more brave men and women won't be lucky enough to experience a homecoming like I did? Their names will be added to the already too long list of war dead, from way too many wars. Sometimes I think we tend to glorify war, but I think most veterans find nothing glorious about it.

I have only one request when we engage in our next war, and we all know there will be more wars. I would insist that the sons and daughters of all the senators, congressmen, and political leaders go first! I guarantee it will be one very short war.

This 4th of July, I've been invited to be the speaker at The Highground at Neillsville, Wisconsin. It will be 20 years since the Veteran's Memorial Park was built. In 1988 the plaza was built, the Vietnam veteran's statue was constructed, and finally dedicated in September of that year. I spoke at the unveiling of the statue during that ceremony, so I consider it a special honor to return and take part in this ceremony 20 years later.

I'll tell a little about the early history and how The Highground became the special place it is today for so many people. It will be a fitting place to spend my 41st anniversary homecoming celebration.

There will be no political speeches, no fireworks, and no partying. Veterans from every war will be present, along with family and friends. We'll celebrate the freedom and independence that July 4th is all about. We'll also remember and honor our comrades who never made it home… who never experienced a homecoming. I'll make sure they all receive a belated homecoming welcome at The Highground on the 4th.