Both of my Grandpa's were military men. Both grew up dirt poor in the rural South. Both knew what it felt like to go hungry. Both felt the military was the only option to pull themselves out of deep poverty.
My mom's dad, Skip, was a career Navy man. He enlisted in the Navy when he was just 17. He loved everything about the Navy - even boot-camp. I remember my Grandpa saying that it was the first time in his life that he felt like home. Three square meals a day, a cot to sleep on, and money in his pocket. He felt like he hit the jackpot. My Grandpa and Grandma lived all over the world during my Grandpa's 20 year service. All of his four children where conceived or born overseas.
My dad's dad, Woody, was a Marine. Woody was an MP in the Marines. His job was to pull drunk guys out of bars when they didn't make it back to the base in time for curfew. He survived Malaria twice and was a tough as tough could come. In fact, he never disciplined his children for fear that he would forget they were just kids and not insubordinate Marines.
For my Grandpas, the military was the only option. Neither had finished high school. Neither had any hopes of college - that was for rich boys. In the military, they learned skills that landed them real jobs when they retired from actively serving their country. When I look back at the legacy they've left behind, their years in the military changed their lives and the lives of their children and their children's children.
Both of my Grandfathers have passed, but their stories remain alive in their wives and their children. Neither ever served on the front lines of war, but knew many of the men who did. They both talked somberly of those that gave up their lives for the freedom of this nation and the freedom of those on foreign soil. Both had a deep love for America, their families, and God. None of the men in my family have served in the military since my Grandfathers. After living through more than one war, my grandfathers didn't want their children to fight in one.
As a child listening to their stories of war, I am sure that they left out the gory details and talked of romantic memories about their military days. As an adult, I realize now all of the details that they didn't share, stories that would never be re-told, the demons and nightmares being omitted to save a little girl from the real atrocities of war.
On Veteran's Day, I light a candle to Skip and Woody. I light another for the men currently serving in the war on Iraq and Afghanistan. And I light a third for Peace.
Original post for the nSilicon Valley Mom's Blog
