Veterans Day

I walked past a group of middle schoolers yesterday, and overheard them talking about upcoming plans. 

 "Oh, cool, we don't have school tomorrow!" 
"Awesome!  Why not?"
"IDK, some holiday.  Veterans Day, maybe?"

Although I probably had quite a similar outlook at their age (although I would NOT have actually said 'IDK', since texting didn't exist then), my awareness and feelings about veterans have changed dramatically since then.  Granted, when you're 12 years old it's just exciting to have a day off.  Now, the reality of war, the military, and what the word "veterans" really means is starkly different. 

I was going into sixth grade at the beginning of the 2nd Gulf War- "Operation Desert Storm."  I remember people talking about it, and getting chills every time I heard Voices That Care (which was played over and over).  I remember hearing about Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf and Gulf War Syndrome, but back then Kuwait was just a place on the map.  We didn't have cable, so there was no 24-hour coverage.  There were no YouTube videos because, well, there was no YouTube, or any Internet for that matter.  Although it was still highly televised, we weren't as bombarded with images, stories, and Facebook updates about it.  I didn't know anyone who was directly involved in the war, so it still was very abstract to me.   


Dad, on the right

 Dad was 15 when World War II started.  His father had died that year, and I always thought maybe that had something to do with his urgency to enlist.  Regardless, he fudged the details on his registration forms a little and began basic training with the Marines just shy of 18.  Soon after, he was shipped off to the Philippines to begin service in the war.  I know he brought his Duke Ellington records.  I know he got a horrible case of Hepatitis and the smell of pork chops made him sick.  I know his plane went down into the Mindanao River, and according to the New York Times article I found preserved, but yellowed and torn in several pieces, he was credited with "saving the lives of the entire crew."  I also know that he saw his best friend die. 

Dad never liked to talk about the war, or his time in the Marines, very much.  When probed, he would tell me how they spent a weekend driving a Jeep through the pineapple fields in Hawaii  or other feel-good stories.  He said that he left the Duke's records behind for the rest of the group when he was discharged, and how happy he was to go to New York University on the GI Bill.  But I could never get information about the terror he faced, the faces he saw, the emotions he felt.  I think about it now, and I can't imagine going through that kind of trauma, especially at such a young age.  Several of the college students I work with have spent time in the military, and some of their insight and observations blow me away.  Regardless of whether they served in the current war, they still have the discipline and motivation that comes from their training and I have to think it gives them a boost. 

Since sixth grade, of course, my appreciation and understanding of veterans has grown dramatically.  I have numerous friends with relatives closely involved in the military, and I've learned that can mean directing the Army Band at an American air force base in Germany or raising three children alone while the husband is stationed in Korea for another year.  My mom's neighbor served in the current Iraq War and came back with debilitating PTSD.  Although he's doing much better now, people suffer their whole lifetimes with physical and emotional trauma sustained while serving their country.  We put aside Veterans Day to remember and appreciate the men and women who were brave, disciplined, and impassioned enough to fight in the wars our country is involved in.  At some point it becomes much more precious than just a day off from school.