A Veteran’s Legacy

I come from a military family — two of them actually. My grandfather, the one who raised me, was a career military man. His career was in the Air Force; he served in Germany after WWII, in Korea, and in Vietnam. Though he served before I was born, I feel a real sense of gratitude to him for everything he was willing to give up for our country.

He also instilled in me a deep sense of respect for the country, and especially for the military. I may not always agree with the wars our country wages (or even believe a just war is possible), but the blame for these wars falls squarely on the shoulders of those in power, not on the shoulders of those who are soldiers.

My Dad’s dad, my grandpa Charlie, was also in the military, but for a shorter period of time. He served in WWII, and though he spent only four years in the military, he was involved in some of the most intense fighting of that war. He was at the Battle of the Bulge, fought around Christmas in 1944, and he was also present at the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp. They chose him because he spoke Hungarian and could translate what the prisoners said. His experience of liberating a concentration camp never left him, and always instilled in him a hatred of injustice and evil.

On this Veteran’s Day, I am so very proud to tell of the Veteran’s legacies I come from and which have formed me, and to say thank you to all our soldiers once again.

What’s your Veteran’s Legacy?