Since the first celebration of Armistice Day at the end of World War 1, Americans have been commemorating the sacrifice of our noble military personnel each year on November 11.
Because I wasn’t from a military family and had no close personal friends in the military, I didn’t have the depth of appreciation for what Veterans Day represented until one of my sons joined.
My son is a dentist, but he’s served in many difficult places, including Iraq and in South Korea, where his base was within walking distance of the DMZ (the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea).
Over the years, he’s worn a lot of different hats, and this past summer he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. (However, this hat was from ten years ago!)
Alan and I always try to keep in touch with Mike’s family no matter where in the world they are, but due to COVID shutting out Americans from his current location, we had to miss the birth of their last child and a special trip we had planned to see the Passion Play in Oberammergau with them. This is a very small sacrifice compared to the horrible losses that many families suffer, but isolation and separation from home and family are two of the many sacrifices that every military family makes.
So, in honor of my son and all military personnel, I just want to say,
“Thank you for serving!”
“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due;
custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”
(Romans 13:7)
Summer Setting 