What It's Like To Know A Veteran

My daughter Chelsea brought this home today.  This was her essay for school.  It made me cry, I am so proud of her and my sons, the relationship and respect they have for one another.  Chelsea's Grandfather's on both sides served in the Navy, her dad served Naval Reserves in Iraq, her uncle was serving in the Marine corp. in Iraq and was killed in action. Her oldest brother is currently deployed and the other older brother enlisting.  

Chelsea's was voted as one of the best essays for her grade and got to read it aloud to the school assembly and veterans that were there for it.  There was one for 6th, 7th and 8th grades.

November 3rd, 2010

Coolidge Middle School

What It's Like To Know A Veteran

     A lot of people would say a veteran is someone that has served in the military or is serving right now.  If you asked me what a veteran is I would say part of my life.  It doesn't mean that I'm one it means people around or close to me are.  I have many family members in the military.  I know how it feels when someone goes to boot camp and graduates from it, most importantly when you get to see them again.

   I know all of those feeling.  The biggest thing about being in the military is going to another country and risking your life.  Veterans are the non-fiction version superhero in a comic book.  When they come home is one of the best times in a veteran's life.  My brother Travis R. Fletcher is one of those men or women out there serving for their country.

     Every time he got to come home he would us that the worst part was being away from family.  Travis was supposed to come home for his 21st birthday but he was deployed to Pakistan for 10 months.  Some times we'll hear from him and we'll send him care packages.  It's funny because Halloween just passed and he got a snickers but it wasn't like a snickers he'd ever had before.

     Everyday I'll think of my brother.  I think back to the days when Travis and our family had met the chief.  The chief told him what it would be like and what he would be risking.  Then I'll think even further back when we were younger and got into a lot of arguments and now he's one of my heroes.  It's only been one or two months since he's been deployed.  It feels like he's been gone a whole year even though he'll only be gone for 10 months.  I love my brother and hope him and everyone on his ship and that is serving right now to have a safe eight months.

     When they get home their family and friends will be waiting with love and open arms.  A lot of families will share some tears of joy.  Even more families will let them know how proud they are of them.  So if you have a loved one in the military you the feeling's like I do.