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It was one of those memories you can’t ever, ever forget.

I was flying home to visit my family, and flight scheduling necessitated a layover in Denver — which was unpleasant enough, because it’s almost impossible to get into the place without undergoing a bit of white-knuckle turbulence.

It’s worth noting that I was wearing my U.S. Air Force dress uniform, not to show off but mostly because it was easier to stuff my ratty civilian stuff into a suitcase.

While I was changing gates, three college-age young women approached me.

Without a “Hello” or any other kind of greeting, one of the trio eyed me up and down.

Her face looked blotchy with anger, and before I could speak, back away or do anything, really...

She spit on me.

THAT KIND of event would be very unlikely to happen today.

Active military members and veterans are now treated with respect for their willingness to defend the country.

No matter what everyday citizens might think of war itself — and we’ve been involved in one kind or another almost since I was born — Americans seem to realize these days that the men and women in uniform rarely choose to serve in time of conflict.

You don’t grow up thinking: “Man, it would be great to dodge Taliban bullets and roadside bombs in some Afghan mountain village.”

Volunteering because freedom is truly at risk hasn’t happened with any regularity since World War II.

I’m thinking of that spitting incident on this Veterans Day, because it’s almost impossible that such a thing would happen now — and those odds become even longer in North Idaho.

If I could still fit into uniform (wow, I was skinny), maybe I’d wear it while attending one of the many events conducted to honor veterans, or to a restaurant serving active duty personnel and veterans for free.

I’d have plenty of choice.

AS IT stands, I think maybe Olive Garden is a good pick for dinner — or maybe the Texas Roadhouse.

We’ll see.

I missed the annual Veterans Day bash at the Coeur d’Alene Casino on Thursday night, but hats off to the Tribe for spending a bundle to feed and entertain vets.

On the other hand, I couldn’t let the red, white and blue pancakes slip away at IHOP on Friday. That one had to be a syrupy dinner because of a lunch with my boss... and even now in my slightly heavier stage, I can only stuff myself so many times in one day.

The bottom line here is that anywhere you could turn in Kootenai County the past few days, veterans and military members have been celebrated.

The idea of thanking active personnel and vets for their service has become more common, and rightfully so.

Even if you object to wars of intervention, or consider the military budget bloated...

We still need young men and women to take the oath, wear the uniform and protect us, if necessary.

So thank you, North Idaho.

The gestures are not lost, believe me.

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Steve Cameron is a columnist for The Press. You can reach Steve at: [email protected].