Here's to the American Solider

I have pictures of the most fabulous granola all ready to go, but it just didn’t seem right.  It didn’t seem fitting for today.  Today is important, not in making you laugh and not in making you “like” what I have to say.  Today’s mood is somber, reflective, and thankful.   

F-16C Block 50 Fighting Falcon of the 35th FW, 13th FS Panthers from Misawa AB.
Photo taken by Jake Melampy and published in Combat Aircraft Monthly magazine, Vol 14, No 7.
And yeah, that's my husband flying that bad boy.   

Today is Veterans Day, a day often overlooked by our country where less than 1% of the population, roughly 2.2 million people, is in the military.  Want some perspective?  16.1 million Americans served in World War II. 

A few months ago, I was reading The Lost Underground, an article that appeared in National Geographic about World War I.  It interviews a Frenchman who safeguards the WWI tunnels and passages on his land and often reads the etched names in the stone, and he says something that really sticks with me, “By reading the names of the men down there, we make them live again, for a moment.”

Men, who went to war and, all too often, died in their early 20s, were the ones who helped fight for freedom.  That statistics hasn’t changed in subsequent wars. 

Merwin Bunker
WWII
Korean War
US Navy

My grandpa left at age 17 to fight in the Navy, an age before I even knew what it meant to live without Mom doing my laundry.  

Otis Dillow
Korean War
US Army
1932-1989

My papa was in special training for war at an age when I was still trying to figure out which colleges to send my applications to.    

William Phillips
Vietnam War
US Air Force

My father began his service before he could legally drink (I plead the 5^th in knowing whether or not he abided by that law).  

Perhaps it was a soda?  A soda to match his peace necklace. 

Before the age I was when I graduated college, my father had been to war and back.  

Michael Cady
US Air Force

Since becoming a F16 pilot, my husband and I have become quite accustomed to Skype/FaceTime.  I know the kind of man he is, the one who will get the job done, and every part of me is so proud and so thankful he is who he is.

When I read each passage, all I can think about is how privileged I am.  I am privileged to live the life that I have, with the freedom I have, not knowing the horrors of war, not fearing if the next life taken will be mine. 

Most of my friends on Facebook are military; whether spouses, moms, dads or military themselves, that’s the content of my newsfeed.  I’m lucky; I have a skewed perspective on how many people acknowledge the importance of this day.  But, perhaps this post will impact others not constantly surrounded by military personnel, and you’ll remember a family member, whether distant or close, who is a veteran, and you’ll take a moment to thank them, and if necessary, to make them live again. 

Raising the flag on Iwo Jima.  February 23, 1945.  Photo taken by Joe Rosenthal. 

As for me, I will call my grandfather today.  I will call my father.  I will say a prayer for my papa.  I will call my husband.  And, I will say:

Thank you for fighting. Thank you for being strong.  Thank you for believing in America.  Thank you for putting others before yourself.  Thank you for returning home. Thank you for serving.  Thank you for exemplifying kindness when you have seen the most unkind things in the world.  Happy Veterans Day.  I remember the sacrifices you made, and I am forever thankful. 

I would love if all of you who found it important enough to read to the end of this post would comment with the names of your loved ones who deserved to be thanked today.  I would love for the comments to be longer than this post.

To the men and women who serve and have served,

Liz