My parents made us go to family reunions so we could hear stories from our great aunts and uncles as well as the rest of the family. They wanted to make sure we understood how they grew up in the depression era and the scarifies they made for us to have a better life.As a young kid, I didn’t understand. Nobody in my family talked about their service. School didn’t make me fully understand either.
Sadly it took a movie to make me understand. Coming out of the theater after Saving Private Ryan was table offering mental health for veterans. That was the first time it was real to me. Talking with an Iraq War veteran, he still ascertains that just the chaotic, visceral feel of the beginning of that movie is as close to being in combat he has seen on film.
I make sure my kids understand the sacrifice people have made to allow them to live the way they do.