"Quake"

“Yesterday was the “Great Southern California Shakeout Drill,” where thousands of Southern Californians simultaneously were supposed to “drop, cover and hold on” for two minutes of imagined seismic activity.

I was in a coffee shop in downtown Burbank a few months ago when the building started to shake. At first I thought a truck was passing by, but when the building continued shaking, I knew that it was something else. People started looking at one another. I started packing my belongings. That 5.4-magnitude tremor in July, centered in the hills east of Los Angeles, was my first California earthquake.

I really didn’t know what to do, but I didn’t think I wanted to be inside the place during an earthquake. There was a period — just before panic began to set in — when folks in the shop were looking around like they didn’t know what to do.

The quake was over in a few minutes. No horrible damage was done. Nobody got hurt. It wasn’t the “big one.” But it was nothing to sneeze at.

Being a transplant from the Midwest and having lived in the East, I have contended with

tornadoes, nor’easters, snowstorms and even hurricanes.

But earthquakes are a different story.

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“Where were the flags?”

I am a veteran. I served my country in the United States Air Force. I am proud to be able to say that, despite the anti-war sent

iment that is around.

I am not a warmonger, but under certain circumstances, I feel it is necessary to go the distance where the defense of the country is concerned, I have much love for those who have served — and 

are serving — the United States of America.

So imagine my concern on Veterans Day, when I realize that I did not see any flags — no more than usual, anyway. I mean, come on. We are presently in the worst times that country has seen in years. Two wars going on. Two, Afgha

nistan and Iraq. So we should be grateful for the dedication of the U.S. service members who are doing what they do. Since the war began in March 2003, 4,196 Iraq war casualties have been recorded.

But where were the flags Tuesday?

I couldn’t find many. As a matter of fact, if I didn’t know it was Veterans Day, I wouldn’t have known it was Veterans Day.

Sure, there were the usual parades and memorial services and whatnot, but you would think there would be more …