As we celebrated the 4th of July this week, I couldn’t help
but think about those who have sacrificed for our country. From our founding
fathers who dreamed of independence to brave men and women who give of their
time, and for some, their lives, to serve the greater good. Could that be the
reason why readers love strong, capable characters like police officers,
firemen and those in the military? As I think back to the young people I’ve
known who have served in the military, my answer is a resounding yes.
My daughter, Megan, served briefly in the Air Force. I’ll
never forget when she came into our bedroom late one Sunday night, a decidedly
sheepish look on her face.
“Mom. Dad. I need to talk to you.”
Never what you want to hear from your nineteen year old
daughter when she’s already acting rather nervous.
“I want to enlist in the military.”
Well, of course, I was shocked. I’d never even heard her
talking about this as an option for her future. She was attending college at
the time, although she wasn’t really enjoying the experience. I chalked it up
to a phase. Like she was trying to figure out what to do with her life.
Well, she’d figured it out. In a big way.
After her father and I picked our jaws up from the bed, we
started asking questions. Seemed Megan had been talking to a friend who was enlisting soon. She wanted to do something bigger than herself.
Wanted an adventure, to travel and work with a team. As she grew more
passionate about moving in this direction, I knew there was no way to talk her
out of this decision.
So we recommended she talk to a recruiter. Figure out which
branch fit her personality. She already knew the Navy was out since she got
seasick. When she came home and announced she was going to try for the Air
Force, I was still pretty nervous. What if she got deployed? Later, her
recruiter told me it wasn’t a matter of if, but when. Mom did not like that
answer.
Through a series of stops and starts, Megan finally left for
boot camp. At the end the four long weeks, I flew out to Texas to see her
graduate. This had to be the most humbling experience ever. All these young men and woman marching out onto this great
big field in timed precision and order on a very cold December day. If you ever
have the change to go to a military graduation, please, attend. It’s one of the
things that makes you proud to be an American. The music played, the flags
waved and my heart swelled with pride.
The weekend flew by
with many different ceremonies, but what I remember the most is the look of
satisfaction on my daughter’s face. She’d made a decision and stuck by it. She
went off to school and then into her chosen field.
When you look at these young people willing to stand up for
our country, it makes all the pettiness of politics pale. We live in a great
county. We’ve raised men and women who care about more than themselves. They
make the sacrifice to serve every day and we should honor them.
So in a way, we should celebrate July 4th every day.
Tara Randel is an award-winning, USA
Today bestselling author of fifteen novels. Family
values, a bit of mystery and, of course, love and romance, are her favorite
themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Look for her
newest Heartwarming release, The Wedding
March, available now. Visit Tara at www.tararandel.com.
Like her on Facebook at Tara Randel Books
Such a beautiful tribute to our military, Tara. You must have been so proud watching Megan graduate...what a special moment. My niece, who's in her second year of law school, is currently finishing up her fifth week of OCS at Quantico Marine Base. We're praying she survives the ten week training and is able to graduate.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I loved THE WEDDING MARCH!
I have no doubt she'll graduate. These young people are tough! Thx1
ReplyDeleteMy gratitude to Megan. What a great post! One of my grandsons is in National Guard and ROTC in college. He is a busy boy--and we are so proud of him.
ReplyDeleteHow can you not be proud? I wish him the best.
DeleteThanks for telling us that story. A writer friend's son just deployed, so the young people and their families have been on my mind a lot. Wishing your daughter and others safety. On a different note--TWM cover is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter never deployed, but I can imagine the family is thinking about him and praying for safety. Thx!
DeleteYour book title ties right in with your blog. We had that same discussion with our daughter so I can relate. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful story. My oldest daughter is a medical technician in the Air Force. We were thrilled when she decided to go into the military because she was at a point in her life where she needed some direction. And I agree, the graduation ceremony from basic was beautiful! Truly a humbling experience.
ReplyDeleteI still get goosebumps when I think about it. Tell your daughter thank you for her service.
DeleteI love that we have so many young men and women willing to serve. My regret is that we are deploying them too often. I think our Power's that be need to take a hard look at giving the fighting forces more state-side time between war deployments.
ReplyDeleteThanks for you comment, Roz.
DeleteInteresting to see how many of us have family ties to the military. I currently don't have any (unless there's a far cousin I don't know about) but good friends have a son who has had two tour of duties in Afghanistan. She described it for those at home as having your life on hold for six months. Thanks, Tara, for saying it like it is!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. I'm feeling patriotic this week. :-)
DeleteTara, I feel exactly the same way. We should celebrate every single day of freedom we have in this country, with extra special gratitude to those who made it possible and those who serve now to keep it this way. We are so lucky that so many brave and talented young people choose this path.
ReplyDeleteSo true. Freedom is a gift and I'm so grateful for those who answer the call.
DeleteI love this post, Tara. I am grateful for your daughter's service to the country, as I am to all the men and women who serve their country or work in law enforcement.
ReplyDeleteThe comment, "She wanted to do something bigger than herself" really resonated with me, and tells me a lot about her and the environment she was raised in. You've raised a remarkable young woman, and should be very proud, Tara!
Thanks Kate. Believe me, my daughter is my hero!
DeleteI thank your daughter for her service. My nephew is a pilot on an aircraft carrier. You're so right about honoring them.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's quite a job. Yes, we need to honor them!
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