7.25 Courage - Line of Duty

Bestest Friend and I are in the middle of a blog project. Each day of the month we will post a picture on a pre-determined theme and write a little something about it. The theme for the twenty-fifth day of each month is "Courage."

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Both of my parents were in the Army. My father retired from the military with a designation of 100% disabled that allowed him to receive monetary benefits, reduced cost health care, preferential hiring for federal jobs, and allowed me to receive a check from the federal government every semester I was an undergraduate.  

 

I don't talk about my history as the daughter of veterans much. My father was 100% disabled for a reason and that reason had everything to do with the chronic pain he suffered throughout his adult life that created such a troublesome relationship between him and I. My mother still has nightmares about her time in the service, threats of violence she suffered still haunting her dreams. 

I don't always agree with the policies of the United States government.  I don't think that all members of the military are heroes (can we stop saying this about soldiers, cops, and journalists who are thrown into jail protecting their sources? there are bad apples in every profession and job).  But I do think that many are indeed heroes.  And for those who are doing what they see as their duty to their country, those who have sacrificed their youth, their health, and their relationships with loved ones, those who are not spending this Christmas with their biological families, but with their families made of  war bonds, brother- and sisterhoods, for those who have enlisted and fight on in countries many of their peers can't find on a map, to them I say thanks.  Thanks for serving. Come home safe.

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 To see what Bestest Friend wrote about the theme of the day, check out her blog, Too Legit to Quit.