Veteran's Day

11/11/2014

Today, on Veteran's Day, we remember those men and women who have served or are serving our country.

Growing up, my brother, sister and I, were "Air Force Brats".  Dad was a lifer in the Air Force and that meant that our family became nomads as we moved from base to base.  When you are in the military, a move every three years or so is normal.   One of the problems of moving around is that you don't form any lifelong friendships.  

When we would leave a base, addresses were exchanged and perhaps even a letter or two.  Then either our friends moved, or we did and then didn't keep in touch.  We lived in England, Liverpool to be exact, the home of the Beatles, France, Kansas and California. 

We lived on military bases as well as off base.  Living on a military base had it's privileges.  When we lived on the base at Vandenburg, home to the Atlas missiles, we had buses, manned by Airmen, that picked us up at home and dropped us off at the library, movies, PX or a friend's house.  Since it was a closely guarded base, I don't believe our parents ever worried about us kids being out and about on our own.   

Being in the military meant you were probably never very close to family.  My grandmother lived in Illinois and once we were stationed in California, went to see her every summer.  The anticipation of seeing Grandma was huge, when it was time to leave, there were tears as we drove away from the farm.

As children in a military family, you learned early on, that any negative behavior on your part, would be brought to your father's attention, and you for sure didn't want that to happen.  It was easier to live on base because all of the children knew what it was like to be in a military family.  

I was very proud to be a part of Dad's retirement ceremony.  I, also remember, that since he hadn't worn his dress blues in years, his shirt didn't actually button at the neck and he was hoping that his tie would hide that flaw.  Dad said that when the officer came down the line to speak to each retiree, when he got to Dad, he thought the officer's scrutiny was focused on his neck.  He worried needlessly.

I have some great memories and visited a number of cities in Europe while we were stationed in France.  Unfortunately, when you're eight years old, eating out was a real nightmare for Mom.  My brother and I only wanted hamburger and fries and since that wasn't always possible, trying to order food for us fussy kids, made Mom cringe!

Happy Veteran's Day.

P