from Chris
I spend a lot of my time writing about soldiers. True, the Civil War was 150 years ago, which can sometimes make that experience seem far removed from our modern world. But the thing that impresses me most about those men is that they were just like me in all the most important ways: they were fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, and neighbors. They had hopes and dreams—and fears (not the least of which was getting shot on the battlefield).
Most of the men who fought—but not all of them—were younger than I am now. Many, in fact, were the same age as my students are. That connection is made all the more concrete for me because, teaching at a college campus, I have some students who are also enrolled in the ROTC program.
Of course, most of us have someone close to us who served—perhaps a parent or a grandparent, perhaps a sibling or a child. For those of us who live in central Virginia, where there’s a strong military presence, veterans surround us.
Take a moment today to say “Thanks.”
From all of us at Stevenson Ridge: Happy Veterans Day.