Veterans Day Perspective
November 9, 2008 – 11:04 am
They used to be our fathers and grandfathers. Then they were our brothers and cousins. Now they are our sons and daughters, nieces and nephews. 23.6 million Americans are Veterans. Like many Americans, my family shares a personal history of serving our country. My father landed on Normandy Beach. My cousins fought in Vietnam. My brother was in the Persian Gulf and now my nephew is on his way to Iraq.
Of course I am proud of every single one of them. As a child I looked up to my dad as a war hero, not really knowing what that meant. To my young mind, it meant he was brave and strong, and therefore I always felt safe in his presence.
As a teenager I was too involved in my own life to understand the dangerous choice my brother made to join the Navy. I dated his friends and thought I was so cool to have a soldier boyfriend.
Now that my nephew is going off to war, I am on the opposite side of the table. Although I know he is also brave and strong, trained to be fearless in the face of danger, my feelings are no longer about me. Now I worry about the undesirable choices he will be forced to make and I already mourn the consequences of those choices.
Perhaps we all experience this evolving perspective. It seems a shame that it should take so long to fully develop. Despite my personal feelings about this war or war in general, I cannot help but feel a sense of pride.
Isn’t it funny how one person can simultaneously hold opposing feelings? Perhaps, that is the beginning of wisdom, the ability to see the whole picture, not just your piece of it.
To all American veterans I thank you for your service but hope you will join me as I pray for the day when it will no longer be necessary. A pipe dream, maybe, but still a dream worth holding.
