Honoring All Those Who Served

My parents and my son at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Today is Veteran’s Day and I would like to honor all those who have served for we would not be the great nation we are without them.  

My son has learned quite a bit about the American Revolution and the Civil War in school and through our travels.  He still has a lot to learn about both World War I and World War II which is part of the curriculum for the second half of this school year.   A lot of what he knows about World War II came from our visit to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. and from stories my parents have told him about his great grandfathers who served our country.

My Dad has also shared his thoughts and memories of the Vietnam War while we were in Washington, D.C. at the Vietnam Wall Memorial this past March. He had mentioned that back in the sixties there was little respect or honor for veterans, which is surprising since President Eisenhower made Veteran’s Day an official holiday in 1954.

Teaching our children about those who gave their lives in service for our country is important.  As my Dad is the link to learning about my grandfather’s role in World War II and about his own experience to Vietnam, I am the link for my son to learn about veteran’s role in the Gulf War and of course the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I want my son to be able to relay stories of courage and patriotism to his children one day so they won’t take living in our country for granted.  He won’t be able to do that if he doesn’t learn by example.  It is our job as parents to make sure our children understand that we owe our security and freedom to our veterans past and present, so when you are traveling make sure you carve out sometime to visit one of our country’s National Cemeteries or memorials.  Chances are when you are there you might run into a veteran, so make sure to say thank you.

Pointing to my Grandfather’s name at the World War II Museum in New Orleans.

My parents at the Vietnam Wall

Have you taught your children the true meaning of Veteran’s Day?

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The National WWII Museum

 

 

On a visit down in New Orleans, I had the opportunity to take my son to the National World War II Museum.  Both my parents were with us, so they were able to tell my son stories first hand since their fathers had served in World War II.  My grandfather, Jack Scofield was involved in the Okinawa invasion as a member of the Coast Guard and my Paw-Paw had been in the Navy.

My Dad told my son how the Higgins landing craft was built in New Orleans.  These boats were used in the amphibious landings during the war.  We were able to see the Higgins landing craft along with some jeeps in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion.  My son was also excited to see the  C-47 because he knew my Dad was in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and he loves planes.

There were several exhibits in the museum and they were divided into areas that discussed the home front, planning for D-Day, the D-Day beaches and the D-Day Invasion in the Pacific.  My favorite parts was watching the personal accounts that were on the videos, the animated map and finding the brick outside the museum with my grandfather’s name.  It was so touching knowing that he will never be forgotten.

This was a great experience for my son and it was an opportunity to learn about his great-grandfathers and other brave men and women during this important time in history.  Next time you are in New Orleans, take a break from the typical tourist attractions and head to this astounding museum.  Perhaps it will allow you to reflect on one of your own family members that were part of the second world war.

 

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