This is a story about my favorite Veteran. (I hope you'll tell me yours, too)

I published this last year and the year before and even though I know it's usually considered boring or bad form to publish things that have already been published, I'm doing it again. For a third time.

I think it's so easy to let holidays like today blur together into a lump of Patriotic Days That Mattresses Go On Sale. It would be so easy to forget or simply not notice the unique meaning of today and it is certainly something many people do. They gloss over, they do not pay attention, they continue on with The Business Of Today and don't give a moment's thought to the fact that The Business of Yesterday very much still rolls into Today.

This is a story about my father. At the Aggie football game that falls closest to Veteran's Day, when the announcer asks all Veterans to rise for a thank you for their service, dedication and duty with a round of applause before kick-off, I will get teary-eyed with enormous pride when I see him stand up (along with thousands of other Veterans in that stadium) and humbly accept the energetic and sincere thanks of 80,000 Americans. I will stand in awe that our nation continues to say thank you, continues to respect, continues to acknowledge, continues to pause. 

Thank you, Daddy.

***

When I was in sixth grade I heard a voice on the radio telling us something that we'd all known was going to happen.  I think the way he phrased it was something like,

"Well, we're really at war now folks.  It's started.  It's official.  War..."

War.  His voice was heavy with concern and anticipation.  I briefly wondered if our family was going to plant a Victory Garden, like I'd seen the families in my textbooks do.

The last military engagement authorized by Congress had been Vietnam.  The Korean War ended in 1953.  In 1991, we had not kicked Saddam Hussien's ass even once yet. The limited context I had wasn't very positive.  It would be later that evening or maybe the next day before we saw missiles light up the Iraqi sky like fireworks on CNN.  It would be several more days before everyone started to make jokes about how much Iraqi ass our military was kicking.

Point being, on January 17, 1991 it had been a while since widespread scary shit had happened to the Marines.  But all of the previous scary shit from WWII, Vietnam and Korea had made its way into my textbooks in all of the 4-color glory that McGraw-Hill could get the State of California to sign off on. It wasn't gory but, you know, message received: War is some scary shit, it'll last a long time and a lot of people will probably die.

At least, that's what my 12-year-old brain got out of it.  Up until that point, I'd never really considered that my father might actually see combat during his tenure in the Marine Corps.  I'd never had any reason to think otherwise. Besides a lack of recent war, January 17, 1991 was before the modern day crazies and terrorists started showing up.  It was before Columbine, Oklahoma City, September 11, Virginia Tech and the horror that happened just days ago at Ft. Hood. (Sadly, in 2011 we can add the Norway school attack to this list.)

Can you even remember what it was like to feel insulated like I did in 1991?  Can you recall what it felt like to not be on edge and wonder about that freaky dude you just saw?  Do you remember a time when you thought everything was gonna be ok - no matter what? 

Sure, I was young and naive, but compared to today's 12-year old?  I might as well have had the worldview of Bubble Girl.  There was no internet.  We didn't have cable.  I wasn't allowed to watch PG-13 movies (As my mother so pointedly reminded me, I was not 13 yet.)  War-wise, life had been good in the United States for a while in 1991.  

War, an official, real WAR felt very disconcerting to pre-teen me.

I often toggle between my 12-year-old self and my 30-year-old self when I hear people, the media and politicians talk about our current war.  What I often consider is that it hasn't been 8 years; it's really been 18.  Our troops and their families have been invested in this for 18 years - long enough to turn a newborn into a college freshman.

That's an awful lot of troops and families to thank today for their recent service, in addition to those who have served in the past.  Thank you.

***

My father was deployed from May 1990 to March 1991. He was supposed to go to Okinawa for 6 months but that didn't really play out as planned.

In July he performed rescue operations in Manila after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake.  He assisted primarily at Christian College, where a six-story building completely collapsed and approximately 250 students and teachers were trapped inside. 

Nope, no cell phones.

He was in Saudi Arabia by January 1991 and led ground combat operations as part of Task Force Grizzly. 

Their mission was to be a foot-mobile infiltration force tasked with breaching enemy minefields.  This means they spent a lot of time walking, in the desert, with a full pack, sleeping in holes and trying not to step on mines.

The sign says, "Better Holes and Gardens, Hole of the Month." 

They made their jokes where they could.

They covered approximately 45 miles, carrying a combat load, over eight days.  They took 68 prisoners of war when an entire company of Iraqis surrendered to them.  When it was time to come home, two Marines had been killed in action and 14 wounded.  A very detailed description of the entire mission can be found here.

When he finally came home, safe and sound, in March 1991 it took all day for the battalion to make the few hours drive back to the base.  We thought they'd be there by lunch but it was long after dark when they arrived. 

The cause of the massive delay?  The highway between the base and airport was jammed with joyful, thankful, ebullient people who reached into the bus to shake their hands and say thank you.  FOR MILES AND MILES.

These thankful people passed buckets of fried chicken, cases of beer, bags of potato chips, dozens of cookies and whole cakes into the buses for the Marines.  Keep in mind that they had been in the desert for months with no television, internet or newspapers, fighting a war on foot.  They had no idea what the mood was at home or how they would be received upon their return. 

To say they were surprised by the reception would be a massive understatement.

***

I know that almost every family has a service member they're proud of.  As the great military tradition in this country continues, there are very few families out there who don't have a somebody deserving of great thanks and respect on this Veteran's Day.

It's just that I am so privileged to claim him as our Marine. 

Thank you, Dad.  Thanks for spending your career, the prime of your life, working to save and better the lives of so many people who may never know the freedoms that I do, but are perhaps a little bit closer after you crossed their path. 

Thank you.

***

What about you? I would so love to hear about your family members and their stories. Please, please, leave a comment, or if you write a post, I would so enjoy reading more if you paste the link.

Comments

[HereWeGoAJen]

This is a wonderful story.

Thank you to your dad.

[Jennifer]

I grew up right outside of an Army post and lived my whole life being thankful that MY dad didn't have to go overseas or get deployed like so many of my friends' fathers. Then, lo and behold, I married an Army man. Something I swore up and down I'd never do. (But dang, those uniforms just make me *swoon*.) So now we are staring down our first deployment (Sept 2012) and I'm shaking in my boots and for the first time, really realizing what this type of sacrifice means.
We live on post, and I see dads (and moms) all around me that miss out on birthdays, holidays, first steps, first words, graduations, anniversaries, etc, etc. It really makes you cherish the time you have with your family, and also to realize that this freedom we have? It is totally not free.

A big THANK YOU to your dad for his service and to your family as well for your sacrifice.

[Karyan001]

Thank you for this wonderful post. I do not have any family that I know in the military but there are a lot of guys ( and a few girls) I went to high school with, some married with little kids currently serving. Some deployed and some home. And when I see pictures of them on facebook or see things their family post I am so pround of them and I have so much respect for the sacrific being made by them and their familes. I am 13 weeks prego with my third... So, as you can imagine i was crying like a baby while reading this post! lol. But really- it was touching and wonderful!

[Jaida]

I don't have any personal stories either, just a deep gratitude for all those who have served and are serving. I love the moments at all the sporting events we attend where we have a small chance to express our thanks. My husband is from England and he always says that he loves Americans' patriotism and outward appreciation for our soldiers.

Your dad is awesome, thanks for sharing.

[Shauna]

This just left me in years after reading this. What an amazing man to have given such a HUGE sacrifice to protect our country. Even just typing those words I feel like I'm not giving enough justice to that. I really don't think that veterans get enough credit that they deserve, either.
My favorite veteran would have been my pop pop. He was just the most lovable, hilarious, kind, man in a big teddy bear kind of way. His pictures and letters from Vietnam to my mom mom are something I will treasure forever. Thanks for posting this, and thanks again to your dad, and all of the other veterans/people protecting our country.

[Meghan]

I love this post, every year it makes me cry to read about the welcome back your dad received. My thanks to him

[Life of a Doctor's Wife]

This is so beautiful, A'Dell. I'm so glad you shared it. I'm so grateful to your father and all the other servicemen and women who fight for our freedom every day.

The veteran I'm proud of is my baby brother. He was in Iraq for 9 months - a machine gunner in the Army Infantry. From my perspective, the war changed him (how could it have not?). I won't get into how sad and terrible that is. But what I know is that he would go back in a second to fight for this country, to stand shoulder to shoulder with his friends who are still overseas, to stand up for the liberty and patriotism he so believes in.