A belated Memorial Day message, blogging + more

MY BROTHER IS HOME!

He redeployed (which means, in non-Army-speak, returned home) from Afghanistan last Sunday, May 29. A very cool date, considering he redeployed from Iraq the day after Veteran's Day in 2008, and this time he redeployed the day before Memorial Day.

I cannot tell you the relief that flooded my body when the plane's tires touched down. It was like a giant weight lifted from my shoulders. I know it was even more intense and exciting for my mom and my sister-in-law!

Since I was traveling home on Memorial Day and didn't get a chance to write a blog, I thought I'd do it now. I wanted to say belated Happy (and I say this bittersweetly, because is a day set aside in remembrance of our fallen really happy?) Memorial Day to the US military, current and retired. I wish there was more I could do for our military, especially our combat veterans. They hold a special place in my heart. I keep a book of newspaper clippings—the kids who toted around a cardboard cutout of their dads for a whole year, the new mother whose husband never got to see his child, the Gold Star moms, the double-amputations of once able-bodied men, the soldier  who deployed to Iraq with his bomb-tech wife and returned home a widower—to remind myself of the sacrifice those men and women make for us. I hope that all Americans, whether in favor of the war or not, keep this in mind all year round.



Me and my brother after the redeployment ceremony

I also wanted to mention a new non-profit I've started volunteering with called Operation Paperback, a group which allows volunteers to mail gently used books to service members overseas. Even if you don't have any books in your personal collection to donate (because let's be honest, as awesome as our military is, most of them probably don't prefer YA) , you could always pick up a few books from the thrift store to mail a soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine. War is basically working yourself to the bone interspersed with periods of hurry up and wait, so a few good books could make a big difference in someone's life. 

I have a few announcements regarding blogging, but I think this post's long enough already, so keep an eye out for that blog later this afternoon or tomorrow.

At the airfield waiting for my brother's plane.
It was a loooong trip and a long wait, but so worth it.

On Veteran's Day

Some words fall short of capturing the true depth of the ideals behind them.

One of these words is love.

Another is honor.

Freedom. Commitment. Sacrifice.

These words describe our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Guardsmen, and yet they barely touch upon the truth of just how deeply our service men and women love their country, honor it with their lives, appreciate the hard-fought freedom, are committed to defending America, and sacrifice in the name of it all.

I was raised in a family that strongly values our military. One of my earliest memories is of attending a Support Our Troops rally during the Gulf War. The adults held up pieces of paper that, when viewed from above, created an American flag.

I never really knew what it meant to serve, though, until my teenage brother enlisted in the Army as an Infantry soldier in 2006. Since then, he has served 14 months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and he is currently halfway through a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Eduring Freedom. My brother has spent 3 of the last 4 Veteran's Days deployed.

To learn of the anguish of war firsthand from my brave younger brother, to witness his intense pain and pride, has been a defining facet of my life. I may never know what it is like to be the one who defends our country, but I know what it is like to comfort and care for the ones who do.

My brother returned home safely from Iraq, and I have faith he will return safely from Afghanistan, but many of his battle buddies have not.

I will never forget their names. I will never forget their faces. And I will never have the honor of meeting them.

I cannot tell you how this saddens me, nor could I ever express how these fine men swell my heart with pride. I can no longer hear the National Anthem without tears springing to my eyes. I see the Flag, and I see not fabric and stars, but strength, poignancy, and unwavering dedication.

So on Veteran's Day and every day, THANK YOU!

Thank you for honoring, protecting, and defending our country. Thank you for giving up your freedom for ours, your lives for ours, your bodies and minds for ours. Nothing we could say or do will ever be enough, and it is easy to believe you have been forgotten, but please know that your sacrifices will be carried in our hearts forever.

We mourn with you. We rejoice with you. And you will never be forgotten.

Please, thank a veteran today. And while you're at it, thank their family members, too. In our own way, we serve right along with them.

Adapted from a Facebook note I wrote Veteran's Day 2009.