Veteran’s Day is this Friday, Nov. 11.
For years now I tend to write about how special this holiday is to my heart.
I’m so incredibly proud to hail from a family who has an extensive history of serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Going back generations on both sides of my family, the majority of male family members served in the Navy. But my Mama, came along in rural Oklahoma and decided she wanted a life at sea as well and signed up when she was only 18.
After boot camp she shipped out to the Philippians. This was where she met my father and I was conceived. Now women in the early eighties who served in the Navy weren’t combat trained the way we think about today. Instead, they put my mother in surveillance and she worked at tracking “enemy movements” and letting those higher in command level know. Here’s the deal: she had top secret clearance and to this day, I can’t get the woman to utter a word about any of those secrets she was privy to knowing. This is a big deal, because let’s face it, I’m the apple of my mother’s eye, and she tells me any and everything else. Something about her time in the Navy stuck with her though because there are secrets she is taking to the grave.
But, that’s okay. Her time in the Navy was important to her and taught her lessons which have helped her throughout her life.
Ask almost anyone who served time in the military and most of them will be forced to admit they took something meaningful away from their time in service which has helped them in civilian life.
For that, I am thankful. I am so thankful for all our men and women who gave their time to protect and serve our nation. I’m grateful for those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, and I’m thankful for those who got to come home to lend their valuable lessons to the betterment of our country.
The local teachers at Senatobia Elementary School worked with the third graders and are putting on a Veteran’s Day Program to honor our local Vets. I am thankful the teachers took the time to teach these young kids the importance of honoring our veterans.
It is vital we continue to teach children the importance of defending this nation they call home and not take for granted the many sacrifices made for their freedoms we so often take for granted.
So take time this Friday, to tell your friends and loved ones how thankful you are for their service, but don’t stop there. Make sure they know as often as possible how grateful you are for their willingness to step up and stand in between our nation and tyranny. And while you’re at it, tell them I’m thankful for them too.
