Thank You!

Here in Saudi we often forgot some of the holidays. I was glad to be reminded by AFN, blogs and Face Book about Veteran’s Day.
I never thought much about Veteran’s Day growing up. There were parades and speeches made. A lot of “old” men and some women remembering their experiences. I knew my Dad had been in the USAF and had been to Vietnam (he never really talks about it. I’ve heard a few stories. Myrna once told me that Dad has nightmares if he talks about Vietnam so I don’t ask anymore).
As I got older it seemed that Veteran’s Day was another day for stores to hawk their wares..10, 20, and 30% off. It seemed it was just a shopping day.
While in the USAF I never thought of myself as a “veteran.” Veterans were the old men and women. I was still young and full of life and definitely not a veteran.
This year Veteran’s Day has really pulled at my heart. I know two people that are deployed…Eric and Mike. One is in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. Eric has a great family that we love and I know his family misses him so much and they’re staying strong for Eric (but 179 days is a long time to be away from an awesome family). Mike has a baby girl that he’s never held and wife that misses him so much (she will be 6 months old before he can hold her and then he has to back t Iraq for another 6 months. A year away seems almost too much). The sacrifice that Eric and Mike and their families are making truly does bring me to tears. They are all heroes to me.
As I watch AFN I see all these young men and women deploying I often think I could have never been that young…but I was. I remember living in the tents (one leaked when it rained so we covered up with our ponchos..there always seemed to be mud in the tent and on our clothes), being away on holidays, and walking to the bathroom in the freezing cold to take a nice hot shower and then walk back to your tent in the freezing cold so you could finish getting dressed and all the other things that go with being deployed. But it was my duty..it was my job. I was grateful to help protect the US from enemies foreign and domestic.
I remember someone once thanked me for my service. I had to blink away the tears. I didn’t feel worthy of the thanks. I hadn’t fought in WWI or II, Korea or Vietnam. I hadn’t come back with anything missing. I hadn’t lost any buddies in battle. Yet, here was someone thanking me for being in the USAF…I can never forget his sincere thanks.
I hope that all the Veterans..the young and the old…the retired and active duty, Reserve and Guard…get the Thanks they deserve. And it’s not just the Veteran’s that need to be Thanked it’s also the families. I don’t know if “civilians” really understand the sacrifice that is made for them…I hope they do.
Too all Veterans and families …these two words can never be enough…Thank You!