Today is a special day in this country. A day when we honor the veterans who put themselves in harm’s way for the rest of us.
And it’s extra special to me. Because one of those veterans is my youngest daughter, Veronica, who served a tour in Afghanistan after she joined the Army in 2003, at 18 years old.
When she said she was joining I thought it wouldn't happen, that it was a passing teenage idea. And when she was accepted, I went into a state of denial, telling myself that she wouldn't end up in a war zone. But within six months she was at Bagram Airfield, North of Kabul. And a short time after that she was serving at a frontier outpost on the border of Pakistan, which was under regular rocket fire.
Although she wasn't wounded physically, she returned from the conflict with severe enough trauma to receive 100% disability for life.
Today she’s married, has completed four years of college, is buying a home, and spends time volunteering with Veteran’s organizations.
I thank God she returned alive. And I thank her for the sacrifice she made – one that impacted her life forever.
