Veteran's Day

I miss my daddy today. I miss him more on Veteran's Day than I do any other day of the year. My daddy was a proud WWII veteran. He served in the Navy from 1943 until 1945 and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

Being a veteran was the proudest accomplishment of his whole life. He would talk about being in the Navy a lot and I loved hearing his stories when I was a little girl. They say that war changes a person. I know that it changed my daddy. There were certain things that would make him cry, even after all those years of the war being over. And he never could sit and watch a war movie. It just made him too nervous.

As I was watching TV this morning I saw WWII Vets who were visiting the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC. It was their first time seeing the memorial. Many proudly wore their uniforms, most had on VFW caps, and most all had tears in their eyes because they were overwhelmed.

All veterans are so special. They serve their country and fight so that we can live in a free country. I'm sure you know a vet. Have you thanked them for serving? I was thinking that I never did say thank you to my dad for serving. It's something that I never thought to do and now he's no longer here for me to do that. But I am going to write what I never got the chance to say.

Daddy, thank you for the sacrifice that you made all those years ago when you served in WWII. You left a new wife and a young son who was only 4 months old. When you came home your son was 2 years old. He didn't even know who you were because you had been gone so long. We will never know all the things that you saw or what you had to go through. But you went because it was the right thing to do. You were proud to fight and to serve. I will be forever grateful for your sacrifices so that your family can live in a free country. I love you with all my heart and miss you so much!

Thank you to all the veterans -- past and present! God bless you and God bless America!