A Grateful Nation 11/12/2023

By: Jennifer Richardson Holt

This weekend we in America honor our veterans.  I feel like, and I am most certainly talking to myself here, that this is a terribly underappreciated holiday. We are a very patriotic country and we do try to do a good bit to honor those who have served but I don’t know that we ever truly can do enough.  My daughter wore red, white and blue to school to celebrate and she and her classmates will be writing letters to veterans. They have also invited veterans to come visit their school where they will be giving them a short but heartfelt parade.  She is excited to celebrate but I feel safe in saying that she really has no clue what these festivities really mean.

She is excited that she gets to write her veteran letter to her father.  Her dad served in the Navy.  She enjoys getting to brag about this fact. She isn’t aware what exactly it means. She knows her Daddy was on a big boat for a good long time and saw lots of other countries traveling on said boat.  She does understand what war is, well as much as a 7-year-old can.  But I don’t know that it is possible to truly impart the cost of our freedoms to her.  It would be good for her to know but then again, it is a heavy weight with which to burden a child.  She isn’t at that point. She drew her Daddy a heart with stars and stripes which he was thrilled by. He probably prefers her at this level of understanding patriotism.

I know there was a time in the past where servicemen (and at the time they were mostly if not all men, so I am not being exclusive with that term) were not particularly valued the way that they are now.  I understand that when people aren’t particularly convinced of the ethics of a conflict that they may have some mixed emotions toward those involved in it. While I can understand it, I can’t say I agree with it. I mean after all, if we know nothing about the military, we know that at its core, it is about following orders. It sems to me that if people wanted to exemplify their bitterness, then they should have pointed it at the powers that be instead of those who were simply following orders. But those are my two cents that were, as per usual, unsolicited. This was a bit before my time so maybe I am speaking from woeful ignorance.  If this is the case, I apologize.

Even now, I don’t really know how to approach the day. It’s likely that if you’re reading this then you are in a country that has afforded you a certain number of freedoms. I can worship how I like. I can live wherever I can afford to and will likely have access to any and all the necessities that I need. Well, unless I attempted some random off the grid living in the wilds of Alaska or some such shenanigan that I am far too spoiled by modern amenities to attempt. How exactly could I, or any of us really, come close to appropriately honoring or thanking those who make the commitment to be willing to put their lives on the line in any and all sorts of circumstances so that all of us can very simply enjoy a comfortable and happy life? I don’t see any tribute that will really serve the purpose.

I want to make more of a conscious effort to thank veterans. I know it’s easily said.  But really, in thinking about it, it’s probably pretty close to as easily done. This isn’t one of those lofty goals that are too far reaching I don’t really think. It is simply going to the effort to thank someone you come across that you know has served.  This could be a veteran you’ve known for ages or just a stranger in uniform you stumble upon.  I have seen people that make a point to thank anything even close to camouflage that might be within the vicinity.  It is an honorable gesture, I think. And it’s really very simple to accomplish.  It really requires nothing more than awareness and the tiniest bit of effort.  Seems to me we could all start there.

I heard a story of a man who not long ago went to see Ann Margaret at a book signing. He had seen her as a young soldier at USO performances in Vietnam. While she was not supposed to do anything but sign her book, he brought a picture he had taken back on the other side of the world. He had waited in line for ages but when he pulled out that tattered photo the security still pounced on him.  But Ann saw it and stopped them and poured over that man. She gave him a big kiss, called him one of her “gentlemen”, signed the photo despite the rules and talked with him for a good long while. He was teary when he returned to his daughter afterwards and told her that was the first time anyone had thanked him for his service.  While he had been kissed by Ann Margaret and had her autograph, the fact that someone finally thanked him for putting his life on the line in as miserable of a situation as possible was what stuck with him.

I hope that we can call ourselves people that are grateful, and not just in thought. I hope that our actions back up those ideas.  I hope we all make conscious efforts to be purposefully expressive of how amazing we think these people are who have served our country and been willing to pay whatever price necessary to preserve our nation. I mean think of that!  You don’t enlist thinking you’re taking on a life of eating cupcakes and planting flowers. You know the possibilities when you sign up for this job.  These people are made of tougher stuff than I am.  I like to think that if push came to shove that I could protect and defend but I am not one of these people of fortitude and commitment.  I am so thankful that we have so many who are made of this though.  Thank as many as you can, and of course, some of the greatest thanks it to live as a citizen of a country worth fighting for.  If we don’t come across a veteran today, we can at least conduct ourselves like a population that truly embodies those American values of integrity, brotherhood, and respect.  Even if we aren’t enlisted, our marching orders start there.  Happy Veteran’s Day.