What Veteran's Day Means to Me

Today is Veteran's Day. I guess when I was growing up. I knew what a veteran was. I guess I knew that my grandfathers and my great uncles had fought in WWII and that my dad had been in the National Guard. No one really talked about it much; it was as though once they put that behind them and moved on, it hadn't even really happened. I know I never grasped the importance of the word veteran; if I ever DID her a "war" story, it was about something stupid or funny that happened. None of my relatives made the military their career, and so my ideas about the army were formed almost solely from watching M*A*S*H.

But now I know...I REALLY get it. My children will never be in the position of blissful ignorance that I was in. The words "selfless service" aren't abstract to us; we understand that it means missing birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and special events. It means leaving your family behind serve in remote places to defend people whose lives/religions/cultures we might not even understand. It means that our soldier will put his life on hold for a year (or more) at a times...while the world here continues to move on. It means there will always be time missing from his life--things the kids and I did together that when we reminisce about them, my husband gets left out.

We know, but try not to dwell on the fact, that there is a possibility (or reality for some families) that our loved one will not come home---at least maybe not alive. Or that he will come home forever changed...that even though he is here in body, part of him will be left behind downrange. He might be damaged--plagued with night terrors, nervous in crowds, jumpy around loud noises. Things like the 4th of July might never be fun again.

And as clichéd as it might sound, our loved ones volunteer for this because they believe in the American way. They go, they do their jobs, and they don't even complain much. While they don't relish the separation or the danger, they cope with it in order to defend and represent the US.

I am proud of my veteran and all veterans today and every day. Today is simply the day set aside to make sure I say it aloud. I honor the sacrifice of all veterans, especially the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice. My utmost respect and gratitude go out to Gold Star families today...their sacrifice makes our way of life possible.