My Favorite Veteran

  Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada. It is a day to remember the soldiers who went to war and never returned, those who did come back and those serving today. We owe you everything. Thank you.

  I want to take a few minutes to tell you a bit about my favorite veteran. He joined the air force at 18 years young. It's all he ever wanted to do really. After some training he became a POET....which translates to something with electronic systems....but he loves to say he's a poet.  Almost immediately he was sent around the world. First on a Navy ship going to Europe then to the Caribbean for training.  For three years he was gone more than home. He saw things most people only dream of. Good and bad.

  There were search and rescue missions that thankfully were mostly successful. But the unsuccessful ones weighed heavy on his shoulders. Famine relief in Africa changed his very soul. Watching children starve does something to you that cannot be explained. A plane crash. An extended time in the Middle East. Yes what he was trained to do but unimaginable none the less.

  So many lives saved by the job that he did. People able to grow old because they showed up to help. Children with parents because of a middle of the night call out. Families eating because he flew thousands of miles to get grain to them. 

  Birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's Day, anniversaries missed. Births, weddings and funerals unattended. Entire winters without seeing a snow flake and summers without seeing a beach. All without a complaint. Just an "it's my job".

  You have probably guessed I'm talking about my husband John. The boys and I are so lucky to have you. I am blown away constantly by your decency and willingness to always help others...no matter the cost.

  While I believe he is the best person I have ever met, when it comes to his dedication to his country and his job, John is not alone. Every day thousands of men and women in Canada, and around the world, put on a uniform and just "do their job". They protect us from things we don't even realize we need protection from. Or that even existed.

  So to the Kim's, Will's, Dan's, Darryl's and Charlotte's out there I thank you. Today and every day. I thank you.

  Ang