Thank You for Your Service

It is Veterans Day in the states. The day we honor and thank our Veterans who have served in our armed forces. In our house this is a big day. We are a military family. My husband, his dad, his grandfather, our son, have all served. My heart bursts with pride at their courage, their patriotism, their love of country and their willingness to give all. Literally all. Dave has always said that joining the military is:

“Writing a blank check to Uncle Sam, up to and including my life.”

We have been blessed and we have not lost a family member. But the thing is, once you take the oath, once you join the military, once you marry into the military, you are all family. And we have lost members of our military family. Each time it’s a shock. There’s pain. Hurt. Anger. The first weeks are hardest, and while it becomes easier it never fades away.

Sometimes the pain creeps up. You can feel it coming. Sometimes it jumps up and bites you. Swift. Hard. Surprise. The trigger can be anything. A smell, a favorite food, seeing an old friend you have in common, feeling rain on your face… and knowing that what you feel, smell, taste, see, your fallen soldier cannot.

It is not just death that is hard. Our men & women see things, experience things that are unimaginable. Even with all my years as a military wife & mom, all the things I’ve heard, nothing compares to everyday life for many in our armed forces. The job they do is incredibly hard. It takes them from friends, family home. They are put in new, foreign, places with little to call their own, sometimes not even bed. Sometimes not even a meal. For days. Weeks. Months. Even years.

It is a job that takes over every fiber of their being. It is job that is overworked. Underpaid. Undervalued. Underappreciated. Not by me. Not by mine. Not by family.

Thank you for your service.

Christians unit in Afghanistan

Taking a break in Afghanistan… Christian on the right

Teaching locals to throw the “Westberry” sign

Hurry up and wait on the tarmac during deployment

In Japan. This so reminds me of Forrest Gump!

Where’ Waldo (Christian)?

Even Marines have fun

About the Author: Toiny

My name is Toiny (pronounced Twa-knee) and I am the Studio site owner and a Designer at heart. I especially love creating word arts and tools to help others create. I learned photoshop from my Father-in-Law while printing alien t-shirts for the tourists in Roswell, NM. Once I touched photoshop, I never let it go. It's a creative addiction! I currently live with four-out-of-six kids, my husband & two ornery cats in the Black Forest, Germany. Or as they say in German: Der Schwarzwald. I design under the name: Schwarzwald Design at the Studio.

2 Comments

Barbara Phillips 11 November 2017 at 10:26 am - Reply

Thank your family for their service! It’s hard enough on them, but the loved ones at home have their own battle. 🙂 My daughter was over in the desert during the Gulf War and for 3 yrs afterward. We worried constantly. I posted layouts of all of my family (that I have pics of) that served on my fb. Please give Christian an extra hug when he gets home. They have memories that we will never understand.
Connie A. 13 November 2017 at 11:40 am - Reply

From the heart I thank you and our family for their service. My grandfather served in WW1, my stepfather in WW2 and my husband in Vietnam; I am blessed that all survived. It hurts my heart to have so many ignorant people being so vocal or using their own notoriety to show their disrespect for our flag, those that served and their familys who have given so much to our country.
Hugs,
Connie A

Thank You for Your Service