It’s Christmas eve and I’m still buzzing from yesterday’s visit to the Pentagon. In all the years I’ve lived in the Washington DC area or visited, I’ve never been inside the building. What an oversight. All I could think about as I walked around inside was how much I wanted to talk with my father about what I was seeing.

Because while it’s basically a large office building full of people doing real work, now including my son-in-law, the hallways are lined with some of the best history exhibits I’ve ever seen celebrating all the branches of our armed forces and the men and women who’ve done great things in defense of the country and the world. Especially moving is the chapel dedicated to those lost during the attack of 9/11.

And my father and his brothers, who all served during World War II, loved the history of the military in which they served. And even though I did nothing special during my two years on active duty during the war in Vietnam, I've always been proud too, that I was once part of such a grand tradition. And walking those halls yesterday sort of summed it all up for me and gave me a nice sense of peace and the realization that even a little guy like me can be a part of history and be happy about it.