Memorial Day

 

 

 

 

Today was warm, blue and breezy. We spent it surrounded by sand, surf and other Navy families scattered along the shore of the beach at the Naval Air Station. We watched a couple of F-18s scream into the sky off the flightline as we shared a picnic of grilled chicken and sweet potato wedges.

The significance of today was not lost on me, like it is on most Memorial Days. This year, coming off a three-week family separation due to N's work, I feel an accute awareness of the realities of a person's choice to serve in our defense community--and for me, the choice to follow a person who has made that decision. For N and I, this job has mostly been just like any career choice--there are some sacrifices, some hardships and obvious stigma that come along with it, but it's been a good journey for us so far.

There are others, however, for whom the decision to join the military has led to much longer family separations with little or no communication. For some, real battle has left emotional and physical scars that may never fully heal. And others have lost a life. Sometimes it doesn't seem worth all of that, but here we are today, honoring the commitment and the cost that comes with all of this.

I would never consider myself very patriotic. I'm certainly not the model Navy spouse or the model American citizen for that matter. I do think, though, that there is some value in the kinship we folks have across the branches and ranks of this military. And I am so grateful that in all of the places we have lived, people have offered almost nothing but support and appreciation for the challenging positions this job sometimes puts us in.

And for the generations of men and women whose lives have been touched deeply by war and conflict because of either their willing or unwilling assocation with our military, I hope I will always be thankful. Today, I certainly am.