Married to a Military Veteran
My husband doesn’t have good luck. His trend of wrong place, wrong time started as soon as he joined the military–about 1 month before September 11. From Boot Camp, he was one of the few sent directly to 29 Palms, California. Then he accidentally put his arm through a glass window during training, and needed 17 stitches. The bad luck continued when he did three back-to-back deployments to Iraq. He was in Afghanistan while I was delivering our third baby–in the middle of a hurricane. Then, when he was standing on a rooftop on a pile of debris, an IED exploded under him, sending shrapnel right through his foot.
Despite all of that, I consider myself lucky. My husband has made it home from five combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. He was there for the birth of three out of our four children, and they all have a great relationship with him today. He traveled the world, and gave us the opportunity to live in Spain. Our military life is not what we imagined when we started dating 16 years ago. But together, we made a wonderful life. I am so proud of all he has done for our country and for me. This Veteran’s Day, I wanted to thank him with a video of some treasured moments: his 1st deployment, our 5th Homecoming, and a Marine Corps Ball in Spain.
Like this video? Learn how you can make your own in moments!
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Who do we recognize on Veteran’s Day?
Veteran’s Day honors military veterans past and present. Every veteran has sacrificed something—whether it is sacrificing several years of life to service, spending time away from family, or dealing with the challenges of military life. Many veterans have returned home physically or psychologically wounded. And too many have paid the ultimate sacrifice of giving their life for their country. The current generation of military veterans volunteered to serve, even after the events of September 11 changed the modern world. For that brave action alone, we owe veterans our thanks.
Regardless of how you feel about war, it is important to acknowledge the sacrifices of veterans and their families. The active duty military is only 1% of the American population. This 1% carries the burden of protecting the entire country. The other 99% of the country owes them respect and gratitude, at the very least.
An Easy Way to Thank a Veteran
For Veteran’s Day, you can support veterans by supporting organizations that help them. One notable veterans organization is DAV (Disabled Veterans of America.) DAV is a non-profit organization that takes disabled veterans to medical appointments, helps them secure VA benefits, and lobbies the government to protect veteran interests. DAV National Commander David Riley says,
“Generations of the finest men and women our nation has produced have established an unbroken commitment to freedom. DAV continues to ensure the promises made to those who secure that freedom are kept, and it’s my greatest honor to continue to serve beside you.”
This Veteran’s Day, DAV is making it easy for anyone to thank a military veteran. They have created a free video tool where you can upload photos and create your own custom video within a few minutes. Your video will look similar to mine. It can be downloaded, shared, or emailed to your family and friends. Take a moment to make one today, and thank a veteran for their service!
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