Today is Veteran’s Day. Not a day most people even think about anymore, it seems. A government holiday, but even the schools don’t take the day off anymore. I always think about it, though. For me, it is a day to stop and remember and be thankful. We get to be here and surf this internet and honor this day or not because of the thousands and thousands of men and women who have made sacrifices for us. It doesn’t matter whether or not we appreciate what they’ve done; they’ve done it anyway. And in my opinion, anyone who chooses (or was drafted) to serve in the military is making a sacrifice. They could have chosen any of dozens of other career paths, but they have taken a time out (fore some) or chosen to make a career of defending our freedoms. Some of them have made the ultimate sacrifice (thank you, James Akin) and I am grateful not only to them, but their families as well.
My dad the Marine. My hero. Semper Fi
I always think of my dad on Veteran’s Day. He was a career Marine (by the way yesterday was the Marine Corps’ birthday–hoo-rah!). Though he was pretty much done with his service by the time I was old enough to really be cognizant of it, he was always a Marine. As kids, my sisters and I thought he must have sprung forth from the womb already in Marine green. He never talked much about his time in the service; I think that was his way of protecting his daughters from the “horrors of war.” As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned how true that really is. He fought with the First Marine Division in the battle of Cho Sun, during the Korean war as a 20-year-old and though I’ve read much about it, I cannot begin to imagine what he really went through. I only even heard him mention it once and that was to correct someone’s misperception about the hardships.
If I were home in New Mexico today, you’d see my flag proudly flying in honor of my dad and all of the other fine men and women who I thank from the bottom of my heart for preserving my freedom and making our world just a little better place in which to live.
Please take the time to thank a vet today.
