She found a job working at a theater but she wasn't very happy at that either. I told her she had to find something to do and she decided to join the Army. I encouraged her but deep inside I didn't really think there was much chance that would happen either. She was very quick-tempered and was always fighting with someone about something.
I figured they'd give her a battery of tests and find that she had difficulty following orders. So I was kinda surprised a couple weeks later when she came in with some papers and told me that she was going in the Army before the end of the year. In fact, on September 11, 2003 I was standing in my driveway with tears in my eyes as she left in the car with her recruiter. I didn't see her again for several months, until she graduated from basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. And I only saw her a few times after that when I visited her at her final post in Hawaii. The last time I saw her, before she returned to the mainland, was when I went to visit her before she shipped out with 25,000 other soldiers to Afghanistan.
Many in my distant family had been in the military and it didn't have a lot of personal effect upon me at, at least I don't remember feeling like I did as when my daughter was deployed.
But in retrospect, it was one of the best decisions she ever made. Before she went into the Army she was always angry and didn't want much to do with education. When she came out, though, she attended the Texas Culinary Academy for two years and got an Associates degree as a chef. Once she returned to Arizona she worked for some of the finest restaurants in Scottsdale. Eventually, she tired of that though and went back to school and got a bachelors degree in business – all paid for by the military.
Today she has her own marketing business, is married, has a son, and is living pretty much the life of a suburban housewife.
I'm inspired to write this because today is Veterans Day, a day that honors those who served in our military. And many of those served at great personal sacrifice, including giving their lives, so the rest of us could live as well as we do with the security that we have. But there is so much more to it than that.
While many veterans come out of the military traumatized and emotionally damaged, many come out with benefits that stay with them for the rest of their lives. And among these benefits are loans from government, educational opportunities, and the pride of having done something for their country that is greater than themselves.
And and that's why today I take great pleasure in thanking and congratulating my daughter for her service.
Click here to email John
Today she has her own marketing business, is married, has a son, and is living pretty much the life of a suburban housewife.
I'm inspired to write this because today is Veterans Day, a day that honors those who served in our military. And many of those served at great personal sacrifice, including giving their lives, so the rest of us could live as well as we do with the security that we have. But there is so much more to it than that.
While many veterans come out of the military traumatized and emotionally damaged, many come out with benefits that stay with them for the rest of their lives. And among these benefits are loans from government, educational opportunities, and the pride of having done something for their country that is greater than themselves.
And and that's why today I take great pleasure in thanking and congratulating my daughter for her service.
Click here to email John
