Veteran's Day

Not an easy day today.  Sitting in church looking around when the veterans were asked to stand made me miss Scott.  Although Scott was a veteran, I think that he was always somewhat embarrassed to stand up and be recognized as a veteran.  I’m not sure he really considered himself a veteran since he wasn’t on the front lines or outside of our country when he was activated during Desert Storm.  He used to joke that the worst war injury he received was a paper cut.  Scott was in a finance division that was stationed in Georgia during the war.  In my mind, any person voluntarily serving in the military should be held in very high regard, as in today’s world there is a very good chance of serving overseas in a war zone.  These men and women put their lives on the line in order to preserve our lives, our way of life, and to fight for freedom around the world.  I respect Scott’s decision to enter the military after high school.  I’m sure at that time the idea of being activated wasn’t as real a possibility since major military operations abroad had been quiet since the Vietnam War, yet I’m sure that was something he did think about prior to enlisting.

I remember when we were planning our wedding back in 1999.  In the month prior to our wedding, there were issues abroad, I think in Kosovo, and President Clinton was activating Army Reserve units and deploying them.  I remember Scott and I discussing what we would do if he was activated before our wedding.  If I remember correctly, we had decided to get married in a small ceremony prior to him leaving and having a reception upon his return.  Thankfully we never had to face that situation as his unit was not activated.   We faced a similar situation in 2003 as we were preparing to move back to Jonestown.  I believe it was in the aftermath of 9/11.  We kept expecting to get a phone call telling Scott he was being activated and that I would then need to handle the move without him.  Again, thankfully that didn’t occur.  I have the utmost respect for military spouses who live with this reality on a daily basis and in a world where violence against Americans is worse than ever.  These spouses live with the very real possibility of getting that dreaded knock on the door telling them that their loved one has made the ultimate sacrifice of their life or has been severely injured.   I believe that the military and veteran’s spouses deserve as much respect and recognition for living with this constant fear and for holding down the fort at home for months and sometimes years without the in-person help and support of their spouse. My hat goes off to our military, former military, veterans, and their spouses in awe of their sacrifices, sometimes uncertain futures and under-appreciated services.

Since Scott was buried with full-military honors due to his veteran status, I have seen the respect that is paid to our veterans in death. It is awe-inspiring to participate in one of these ceremonies and I don’t know anyone who has attended them and remained dry-eyed.   I can hope that our veterans are treated with the same respect and honor in life.  I know that many are not treated this way and I hope and pray that this is something that our country continues to strive for and improve upon.  Our very way of life would not be possible without these men and women who so unselfishly put themselves in harm’s way, fighting for freedom, knowing that they face possible death or disability.