#11 I'm Thankful For.....

I think it's very convenient that Veterans Day falls in the middle of my Thankful Project. 

I'm an Air Force Brat.  Yep.  Moved a lot.  Met a lot of people.  Switched schools fairly often.  Although, most of the moving occurred earlier in my life when Dad was not active duty.  Dad had been in the ROTC and served in the Air Force Reserves.  When I was in 2nd grade he became a recruiter for the Reserves.  His first assignment sent us to New Orleans, Louisiana.  Then we hopped over to Idaho and Utah, where we were able to stay for several years since Dad was able to promote within the same office. 

After I graduated from high school, Dad was transferred to Colorado Springs, Colorado.  It was at this point in my life that I seriously considered joining the Reserves myself.  I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life.  School didn't interest me, but I knew I didn't want to work at the gas station for much longer (hated that job).  My only other option seemed to be joining the military. 

I told Dad about my decision and he sat me down, as if I were one of his possible-recruits.  He looked me in the eye and told me, "The reason you join the military is because you love your country and want to serve it.  If the only reason you want to join is for the benefits, then you're doing it for the wrong reason and need to think about it more."

I learned something from my dad.  My dad who loved his career in the Air Force Reserves and came from a long line of honorable veterans, including both his mother and father.  Serving the nation of the United States of America is not a benefit.  It's an honor.  One that cannot be taken lightly.  Soldiers serve because they love their country.

I remember when I was 12.  I was watching TV and the announcement came over the airwaves that the Gulf War had begun.  I began to cry.  I was so worried that my dad would have to leave us to go fight.  After all, his father had fought in Vietnam and Korea.  I'd heard the recordings Dad and his sisters had made that they sent to him.  I'd heard Grampa's stories.  It didn't matter that most of his stories revolved around him being in bar fights with his buddies.  I was still scared that Dad would have to leave us to be put in harm's way.  He found me crying and asked what the matter was.  I told him and he reassured me that as a recruiter he was needed much more on the home front than out in the fields. 

Those couple of moments of fear are the closest I'll ever know of what it is like to have a close family member away at war (I hope).  I'm so grateful to those that serve and sacrifice their lives for us.  It's not just the overwhelming sacrifice of possibly never coming home.  It's the sacrifice of missing time at home with their families.  The days and months spent in a foreign land protecting people they don't even know.  Missing holidays and birthdays and milestones.  And, of course, the families that support them without question.

The members of the military and the veterans that previously served are incredible.  True heroes.  People to look up to and admire.  I love my dad and his service.  I love my grampa and his long career of being in many battlefields (beyond the bar fights haha!).  Our family history indicates our family's dedication to this nation from the Civil War to the Revolutionary War.  I'm thankful for their service and love that I have this heritage.

Thank you, all members of the military both active duty and veteran.  And to my brother, Peter, just beginning his Air Force career: God be with you.  I love you, little brother.  You are already one of my heroes.