The Unsung Heroes!!!
I saw a post today about placing an Air Force Badge on your Facebook profile page to honor the Airmen that serve this great country. Of course me being in the Air Force and having close friends in the Air Force, I put one on my page. Even though I am separating from the Air Force in six months, I will always be proud to have been apart of serving this country during a time we had two wars and be proud I was able to serve during those times and do my part. I will always be proud of the Airmen that serve this country as I am truly proud of many close friends who will continue to serve, and the new Airmen I see coming into the Air Force and will be future leaders one day. Even when I separate, I will always do what I can to support and help out those Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors, and I will always be proud of the military and the service they provide to our country everyday.
That got me thinking about what I am going to miss being apart of and serving in the military. I am going to miss the comradery that I experience with fellow military members. I am going to miss the "family" atmosphere that the military offers and how if you are really in need of help, you can rest assured that you will always have help close by. I will miss having complete strangers come up to me while I am in uniform and thank me for my service. Not because I am looking for a pat on the back, but because no matter our societies opinion of the war, it shows that our society is still 100% behinds its military members.
This then got me thinking of those times when I have been thanked and have realized that there are heroes that are hardly thanked, if ever thanked at all. It is the heroes that if they weren't there the way they are, a large percent of the military would not be able to continue doing what they do or keep our military as strong as they are. These are the heroes that often go unnoticed while the military members are being recognized by complete strangers....even though those heroes are just inches away.
Who are these heroes that have just as an important role in our armed forces as the military members themselves and go unsung all too many times? These heroes are the family members of the military member. The wives, husbands and kids of the military members. Us military members make many sacrifices to serve our country...our families also make sacrifices so that we can serve our country.
I have been with my wife and son for six Thanksgivings and Christmases now and I have been deployed for three of them. I have been with them for six years and have spent a total of 1 year and half separated from them on deployments and training. This is a common story for most military members and a large part of military can claim even longer amounts of time of separation, more holidays separated from their families, etc. We military members sacrifice a lot to serve but our families sacrifice just as much. They leave their loved ones to follow us where the military sends us. Kids say good bye to friends on a regular basis as members get reassigned to other bases, etc. Our kids change schools every few years and sometimes even in the middle of a school year, yet they do it without much complaint and focus instead on the new adventures ahead.Kids experience occassional holidays and birthday parties with only one parent present because the other is fighting the bad guys. Yet they do it without much complaint and have learned that is just part of what they have to do so their parent can serve their country.
Spouses also make sacrifices. They too make friends only to have to say goodbye in the near future as people come and go to that base. When the military member deploys, the spouse picks up the pieces and plays both roles while maintaining all the responsibilities that families inquire. They accept the life that is going to require their loved one to work long shifts and sometimes weekends. They are always there to greet the military member when they return home and prepare a uniform for the next day.
Without our kids accepting and making the sacrifices they make, without our spouses picking up the pieces when they need to and providing us the support we need, we would not be able to put in the 100% focus that we do into the mission at hand which makes our military so strong. Without the support and sacrifices that our families make, we would not be able to continue serving the country we all love so much.
Just as important as it is to ensure our military members know they are supported and thanked by our country, it is equally important to remember and recognize the families members who have also done more than their parts for this country...and all too often I believe they get over looked. I challenge you that the next time you see a military member and thank them, ask them if their family is with them (if they are not standing next to them) and specifically thank those family members for their service to this country as well and the sacrifices they make.
So I want to take this moment to specifically thank all those family members of our military members. Thank you for the sacrifices that you make, the support you show and do which enable your soldier, airman or sailor to continue serving this country and put in their 100% everyday. Thank you because we wouldn't be able to do it without you.....
That got me thinking about what I am going to miss being apart of and serving in the military. I am going to miss the comradery that I experience with fellow military members. I am going to miss the "family" atmosphere that the military offers and how if you are really in need of help, you can rest assured that you will always have help close by. I will miss having complete strangers come up to me while I am in uniform and thank me for my service. Not because I am looking for a pat on the back, but because no matter our societies opinion of the war, it shows that our society is still 100% behinds its military members.
This then got me thinking of those times when I have been thanked and have realized that there are heroes that are hardly thanked, if ever thanked at all. It is the heroes that if they weren't there the way they are, a large percent of the military would not be able to continue doing what they do or keep our military as strong as they are. These are the heroes that often go unnoticed while the military members are being recognized by complete strangers....even though those heroes are just inches away.
Who are these heroes that have just as an important role in our armed forces as the military members themselves and go unsung all too many times? These heroes are the family members of the military member. The wives, husbands and kids of the military members. Us military members make many sacrifices to serve our country...our families also make sacrifices so that we can serve our country.
I have been with my wife and son for six Thanksgivings and Christmases now and I have been deployed for three of them. I have been with them for six years and have spent a total of 1 year and half separated from them on deployments and training. This is a common story for most military members and a large part of military can claim even longer amounts of time of separation, more holidays separated from their families, etc. We military members sacrifice a lot to serve but our families sacrifice just as much. They leave their loved ones to follow us where the military sends us. Kids say good bye to friends on a regular basis as members get reassigned to other bases, etc. Our kids change schools every few years and sometimes even in the middle of a school year, yet they do it without much complaint and focus instead on the new adventures ahead.Kids experience occassional holidays and birthday parties with only one parent present because the other is fighting the bad guys. Yet they do it without much complaint and have learned that is just part of what they have to do so their parent can serve their country.
Spouses also make sacrifices. They too make friends only to have to say goodbye in the near future as people come and go to that base. When the military member deploys, the spouse picks up the pieces and plays both roles while maintaining all the responsibilities that families inquire. They accept the life that is going to require their loved one to work long shifts and sometimes weekends. They are always there to greet the military member when they return home and prepare a uniform for the next day.
Without our kids accepting and making the sacrifices they make, without our spouses picking up the pieces when they need to and providing us the support we need, we would not be able to put in the 100% focus that we do into the mission at hand which makes our military so strong. Without the support and sacrifices that our families make, we would not be able to continue serving the country we all love so much.
Just as important as it is to ensure our military members know they are supported and thanked by our country, it is equally important to remember and recognize the families members who have also done more than their parts for this country...and all too often I believe they get over looked. I challenge you that the next time you see a military member and thank them, ask them if their family is with them (if they are not standing next to them) and specifically thank those family members for their service to this country as well and the sacrifices they make.
So I want to take this moment to specifically thank all those family members of our military members. Thank you for the sacrifices that you make, the support you show and do which enable your soldier, airman or sailor to continue serving this country and put in their 100% everyday. Thank you because we wouldn't be able to do it without you.....
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