Veterans' Day

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. M. Grundler

Two weeks ago, I had written some notes regarding my Veterans Day blog. I had planned to discuss our family's experiences during deployments, the way the military community pulls together and how proud I am to be the wife of a veteran. In light of the Fort Hood shootings, however, I find that my heart and mind are walking down a far different path. Although we knew none of the shooting victims personally, nor were we ever stationed at Fort Hood, the Army is a small town with a global impact. There are always people we've known, men and women my husband has served with and far less than 6 degrees of separation from any Army family.

Like the rest of the world, we were shocked and horrified by the news of this past week. The most insidious aspect, in my own heart, was that the shooter was an Army doctor...a psychiatrist. Not only does this situation create a dreadful sense of mistrust throughout the medical system, but it has to be terrifying to live and work on post, and no longer feel safe. That this rampage would occur in a 'secure' location only makes the ramifications more complex and disconcerting.

Ironically, I have never felt safer than when I'd arrive on post. Before the first Gulf War, there was the simple checking of military (and dependent) identification. After the war began, our cars were searched, to include large mirrors on wheels to be rolled underneath, checking for bombs. Although this did present an inconvenience for those us who chose to live off post, it also gave us a sense of security. I was able to go to the American school in which I worked, feeling not only confident for my own sake, but also for that of my students. My classroom, during this time,

experienced a great deal of upheaval. Fathers left our post in Germany to go to the Gulf. Mothers often left children in the care of neighbors to return stateside to be with their own families. My 2nd grade class felt a lot of uncertainty during this time. I found that I needed to wear many hats...none of which were in my job description. This one year, we spent more time creative writing, and less time memorizing. We studied the geography of all the places the soldiers were going, knowing that was more relevant than the social studies chapter on "people in my neighborhood". We cried. We found ways to laugh. We read wonderful books, and composed ones of our own. We created care packages and calculated distances to various locations. We learned about many modes of travel that the military uses. We painted. We made paper mache globes. We learned the names of constellations and understood that the students Mommies and Daddies could see the same stars. We sang. We cooked. We were there for each other. But, at no time did we, ourselves in our own little classroom, feel at risk or in harm's way. Our classroom was our sanctuary. It was where we felt safe, away from the fighting.

President Obama has called the killings "incomprehensible". He went on to say, ""Their life's work is our security and the freedom that we too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- that is their legacy". What President Obama must also realize now is that even our Army posts, here on American soil, have lost the small town safety they once had. In the military, your current post becomes your home. Your neighbors are in the same life situation that you are...which is a far cry from civilian life. Everyone has been the new person, and everyone lends a hand to help out. Army life can be brutally hard, including separations from those we love. But, it can also give you a sense of family, thousands of miles from your home town. The soldiers who lost their lives did so, not by someone who sneaked into this country illegally, but one of their own.It's a case of a neighbor killing his neighbors in small town USA. The tragedy is further reaching than just those of us in the military. As one of my dear friends from our Army days told me "It's not enough that my husband is in Afghanistan right now...in danger and ready to give his life for his country. Now, I have to look over my shoulder at our coworkers." What started out as a peaceful day in Texas, shattered not only a military community but the sense of freedom that our soldiers risk their lives to prevent.

This Veterans Day, I hope you will take a moment, in between parades and shopping the sales, to thank a veteran. Regardless of your political beliefs, the fact is that there are exceptional men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our nation and to facilitate the military life. They might be Army Rangers or Navy Seals. They might be doctors and nurses who provide safe health care for servicemen and their families. They might be college professors, scientists or supply specialists. They might be husbands or wives, fathers or mothers. It does not take one political party, or another, to have faith in humanity, to have appreciation for the courageous actions of others or to hope for peace and better days ahead.

If you disagree with me, that's fine. But, thank a soldier for protecting your rights to your own opinion.