What They Don’t Know

Almost 10 years ago my grandparents came from Texas to visit us in Alaska. I was so excited!! My grandpa would get up early and go for runs. We jumped on the trampoline. We did all the things an 8 year old would do with their grandparents. My Dad was in the Army. He had been for as long as I could remember. I was never worried about him going to war. What war? Of course Dad had been to Thailand for a training thing and he had been to the field, but I never worried or even considered him going to a “War”. Those were things we read about in books, learned in school. It was just a word. I had no idea that something would happen in the next few days that would change my life, my family’s life, and the country I called home. September 11th was a day few American’s will ever forget.

Do you remember where you were that day? That day that changed the live of everyone in America and those who have been born since then? I was 8 and I was at home. I woke up to the footage on the T.V. My mom told me to go wake up my grandfather and tell him that a plane had flown into one of the twin towers. I did not understand what that meant or why in the world it was so important. I did know it was bad, whatever it was. I told him and he thought it was a joke. He ended up getting up and then he could not help but believe it. Did I know then that everything would be different? No. I wanted to know why everyone was so sad and I couldn’t fix it. I wanted everyone to forget this happened and move on, like we did with a earthquake.

Now 10 years later as a Sophomore in college I look back on that and realize just how much my homeland has changed. War is now a part of everyday vocabulary. As a military “Brat” My dad has been to Iraq twice for more than 30 months total. I now know the fear that is associated with that word. I am now glad that it wasn’t forgotten as easily as I had hoped. Many kids grew up quickly because of those attacks. The attack itself took brothers, mothers, father, sisters, sons, daughter, aunts, uncles, and the war had since then taken many more. I thought the other day how Children who are younger that 10 have never known a time without war. Those times I lived blissfully unaware that there was true evil in the world for 8 years. To them this is normal. Military kids who are younger than 10 have dads who have made 3, 4, 5, 6 tours in Iraq. Some have been away from parents as much as they have been with them.

As a Military Child, Christian, and young adult I ask you to seek the face of the Lord. Pray and allow the lord to heal our land. Reach out to someone who has been effected by these past 10 years. Give your children an extra hug and pray that one day, if the Lord blesses, my children will know less of war and more of peace.


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