A Veterans Day message for kids
The election is over. People had signs in their yard. Some were out campaigning. Others were posting on Facebook about who they were voting for. They were holding signs and passing out cards near the polling places.
Once we made up our mind about who we would vote for, we went to the polls and marked our ballots. No one was looking over our shoulder telling us what to do.
Why am I writing about this on Veterans Day? It’s because I hope all of our young people know that none of this would be possible if not for veterans. For more than 200 years, when other nations wanted to take these privileges away from us, they went to battle for us. They put their lives on the line, so you and I can celebrate our freedom. We can work where we want to work, go to school where we want to go to school, worship at the church of our choice and choose the food and clothing we want to buy.
People in many countries don’t have those choices. But thanks to our veterans and those who have gone before them, we live in a free country: the greatest in the world. All these freedoms we enjoy could have been taken away from us so many times. They didn’t come easily.
War is not neat, pretty or glamorous. Nobody wants to go there. It’s not a movie, a TV show, or a video game. There are no days off, no weekends off, no bathroom breaks, no cable TV, no smartphones, no air conditioning and no vacations.
The men and women we honor this week have been to places we don’t want to go, and they’ve seen things we don’t want to see.
It’s easy to say, “Thank you for your service,” and I’m glad we do that. And I’m glad every now and then we pick up their lunch, or give them a discount. But there’s really no way we can re-pay them.
Some of us feel like we were born into this great fortune. But it didn’t just happen, and it doesn’t just stay in place. Someone has to defend it, when others want to take it away. They can’t do it from home, their back yard or their front porch. They’ve had to leave their families and their homes.
When you read about the number of lives that were lost defending our nation, you’ll see some big numbers, into the thousands.
Thankfully, we are able to honor surviving veterans. They’re our moms and dads, grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles and aunts, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters. Think about this. Do you know how your family worries about you if they don’t know where you are for a few hours? These people we’re honoring this week couldn’t make a quick phone call or send an email or a text, saying “Mom, I’m fine.” In many cases, they couldn’t tell Mom where they were. It was classified information.
I hope when you think of Veterans Day and other observances that honor our military men and women, past and present, you will look at it as more than an hour out of class or a holiday picnic at the lake.
Take some time to study why we’re here, how we got here and how we’re able to live freely. Take time to thank those who gave of themselves so you could attend great schools, choose where you attend college and choose the career you want, and not what the government forces you to do.
When I was young, there were still some elderly folks alive who had served in World War I. My parents’ generation served in World War II, and thankfully, we still have some veterans, including my fatherin-law, who we can thank in person.
We have many more who defended us in Korea, Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas that posed a threat to our way of life, then and now.
The next time you read a book or watch a movie that depicts our heroes, remember this. We have real people in our own communities, our own families, who have gone there and done that. They all did so, in the hope that their children and grandchildren wouldn’t have to go there. For that and so much more, we say thank you.
When you get a chance to honor a veteran with a handshake, a hug, or a salute, please do so. Brave men and women are still protecting us in frightening, faraway places. Their mommas and daddies, grandparents, wives, husbands and kids pray each day for their safety. I hope you’ll do that too.
Learn everything you can in history class, in the library or online, about what our veterans have done and are still doing so you can enjoy the life you’re living today.
David Carroll is from Chattanooga, Tenn. You may contact him at 900 Whitehall Road, Chattanooga, Tenn. 37405 or 3dc@ epbfi.com.