It's Veterans Day
As I picked up the newspaper this morning and turned on the morning news, I was inundated with information about Veterans Day today. Being a "military brat" it always brings me joy to see our current military men/women and our veterans being given honor for their service.
I have not been directly associated with the military for many years now, as my father retired from the Air Force while I was in college, and my husband was out of the Navy when we met. However, I still vividly recall my childhood in the military. That's right, my childhood "in the military." If you are a member of a military family, you might as well consider yourself part of the military. Especially if your family happens to live on base/post.
Although at the time, the negatives of being a military child seemed dramatic, I now consider most of those negatives to be positive experiences. Especially the moving around, changing schools, etc. It was so hard to move just when you seemed to have settled in to a community, a church, a school, and had formed strong friendships. I was distraught every time we moved. I was a relatively shy, quiet child, and it was a challenge to be one of the "new" kids at school so often. You know, figuring out the pecking order of the class, learning which teachers were cool/uncool, and making new friends! Not to mention that the school curriculum was not the same. Our last move to Texas when I was in high school resulted in my being in several classes with all seniors although I was only a junior. That's not because I was so smart, it's just that the curriculum in the state of Virginia was a little ahead of the state of Texas at that time. That was especially interesting because I was going to a high school in a smaller community, and I was one of only two new kids in the junior class at school that year. Can you imagine? That's a whole "nother" story as they say. But all of that moving around gave me wonderful opportunities for travel and forced me to learn how to make friends more easily.
I wouldn't trade all of those experiences for anything! I had a blessed life then just as I do now.
I guess that today just caused me to reflect on how we often think of the men/women in uniform as individuals in their service. But that is not the case. The spouses and children of these individuals as well as their parents and siblings also serve. As you stop today to give thanks for our military, remember all of their family members as well. They too serve our country.
As I went to hang our flag outside this morning, I stopped to think about my own family and how being in military service impacted our lives. I also thought of the families of all of my uncles who served. It was a sweet moment for me. Among my extended family members well over 150 years of military service was given in the twentieth century. I am proud to have been a part of that. Thank you Daddy, Uncle George, Uncle Clyde, Uncle James, Uncle Forrest (all of whom are now reaping heavenly rewards) and my precious husband, Skip. You all served well.
God bless all of our veterans, their families, and all who currently serve our country.
I have not been directly associated with the military for many years now, as my father retired from the Air Force while I was in college, and my husband was out of the Navy when we met. However, I still vividly recall my childhood in the military. That's right, my childhood "in the military." If you are a member of a military family, you might as well consider yourself part of the military. Especially if your family happens to live on base/post.
Although at the time, the negatives of being a military child seemed dramatic, I now consider most of those negatives to be positive experiences. Especially the moving around, changing schools, etc. It was so hard to move just when you seemed to have settled in to a community, a church, a school, and had formed strong friendships. I was distraught every time we moved. I was a relatively shy, quiet child, and it was a challenge to be one of the "new" kids at school so often. You know, figuring out the pecking order of the class, learning which teachers were cool/uncool, and making new friends! Not to mention that the school curriculum was not the same. Our last move to Texas when I was in high school resulted in my being in several classes with all seniors although I was only a junior. That's not because I was so smart, it's just that the curriculum in the state of Virginia was a little ahead of the state of Texas at that time. That was especially interesting because I was going to a high school in a smaller community, and I was one of only two new kids in the junior class at school that year. Can you imagine? That's a whole "nother" story as they say. But all of that moving around gave me wonderful opportunities for travel and forced me to learn how to make friends more easily.
I wouldn't trade all of those experiences for anything! I had a blessed life then just as I do now.
I guess that today just caused me to reflect on how we often think of the men/women in uniform as individuals in their service. But that is not the case. The spouses and children of these individuals as well as their parents and siblings also serve. As you stop today to give thanks for our military, remember all of their family members as well. They too serve our country.
As I went to hang our flag outside this morning, I stopped to think about my own family and how being in military service impacted our lives. I also thought of the families of all of my uncles who served. It was a sweet moment for me. Among my extended family members well over 150 years of military service was given in the twentieth century. I am proud to have been a part of that. Thank you Daddy, Uncle George, Uncle Clyde, Uncle James, Uncle Forrest (all of whom are now reaping heavenly rewards) and my precious husband, Skip. You all served well.
God bless all of our veterans, their families, and all who currently serve our country.
posted by Nellie @ 5:46 AM
2 comments
