In celebration of Veterans Day, I think my niece, Molly, said it all when she wrote the following letter in 2009 (when she was 9 years old) to my father, her grandfather.
Dear Grampy:
Thank you for everything you have done for the country. You are the one who keeps up safe. You sacrificed your life just to make sure our country was safe. Because of you we have the freedom to protest and do what we want. You helped are (sic) country do everything it can do now. You are the one who is making us a free country. You traveled all over the world just for are (sic) country. You are a very, very strong and brave man. Thank you for doing all that you did. I love you!! Oh, and happy Veteran’s Day!!
Love,
Molly
A Congressional Act passed in 1938, Veterans Day is “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace.”
To all U.S. Veterans everywhere:
Thank you for your service to our country!
And, to Molly:
Thanks, Molly, for writing such a beautiful and thoughtful letter to honor your grandfather and his service to our country. By recognizing and honoring your grandfather, you honor veterans and fallen heroes everywhere.
My father was an Air Force pilot for 23 years, flying many missions in many countries including Vietnam. As a young boy, he and his family were prisoners of war under the Japanese at an internment camp in the Philippines, known as Los Banos. They and 2,000+ other prisoners were rescued on February 23, 1945 by many American heroes in a little known military operation called Raid at Los Banos.
This specific day in history set the course for my fathers life. As he watched C47 cargo planes fly low enough to drop what seemed like hundreds of paratroopers from the sky, he knew he wanted to fly.
Until Next Time,
Leave a Reply