thank you, veterans.

there have been many veterans in our family, from all walks of life, all branches of the families. some were drafted, some enlisted. some were lifetime soldiers like Great Uncle Marvin Axsom. Some lost their life in battle like my Great Uncle Ralph Shafer in WWII. some fought the British, some fought Indians, some even fought each other...we have Confederate and Union soldiers. some fought overseas....on land, in air, on water. Some used the service to get money for education. Some like Great Grandpa Ross Shafer told their children of cat sized rats in the trenches in France during WWI. Some probably had things they never could talk about with anyone. The sacrifices made by them, by the ones they left behind, are monumental. Families were changed. No one can ever repay what parts of themselves they had to give up to serve. The years lost with small children. The parents who died while they were away. The worry over their spouse and children. In high school, I thought of joining the service: a way to travel, a paying job, and a way to get in great physical condition. then I fell in love and went to marriage boot camp instead. I appreciate our veterans. I do. But I am secretly glad my own children are not in the service. There is danger everywhere. But I am selfish and don't want to not see them for so long. to have no contact. If it was something they had their hearts set on, then I would have to let them go. But all those movies where you open the door during war time and there are officers there to tell you your loved one is gone....no, we're not in a war right now, per say. But the world is a violent, dangerous place. Especially the places our military goes overseas. so, again, Thank You to all those who did the right thing and served. To Great Uncle John Maxwell, and Great Uncle Dean Shafer, and great great Grandpa JC Maxwell, to Kevin's cousin Janet, his step-Grandpa Joe Hass, his step-brother Kevin Heaton, his uncles Duane and Frank, and my cousin Shawn. My cousin-in-law Bobbie, who started off his marriage going to Operation Desert Storm. To Great Uncle Dale Brown. To all the Bryants and Maxwells and Fosters and Shafers and Axsoms and Boyds and Browns and.... My own grandpas Alfred Axsom and Vermal Brown were drafted for WWII, but didn't get shipped out. Their wives and children had to tell them goodbye and pray for them. They both were fine. But I can't imagine the worries my grandma's Grace and Pauline had. Being a soldier is a noble thing. Being a military family is a noble thing. It would be somewhat easier now with Skype and the internet and phone calls. but some times it was letters that may or may not make it to the recipient. Some bodies were never identified or recovered. Some families just never knew for sure. The National Anthem always brings tears to my eyes. I am so proud to have these ancestors. When the entire crowd sang God Bless America today at the school Veterans Day Assembly, I remembered the cave tour we did in Arkansas and the theater room in the cave where Kate Smith sang God Bless America. They played a recording of it on the tour, it was so beautiful.