Today is a day to honor those who have served in the U.S. military. While I don’t always agree with the actions that the U.S. government chooses to take with our armed forces, I respect those who have served. I have friends and family who have served in the past and some who are currently in the military. Their service isn’t to be taken lightly.
A musician that I follow, Karliene, just posted this video with a poem written after the end of World War I. I think it’s a powerful tribute so I wanted to share it today.
War has touched my life in many ways, although I am fortunate that I have never personally been near the front lines. One of the biggest historical events I’ve lived through was the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the military response. I was just about to turn eighteen and it felt like the end of my childhood. Many young people my age, including classmates, friends, and family members, chose to join the military because of those attacks. It was strange to see the children I grew up with suddenly becoming soldiers. I became politically active and attended many protests against the war, writing to my government representatives, and I’ve voted in every election since I came of age. It’s sad to think that we are still dealing with the consequences of that day even though it’s been eighteen years now.
While 9/11 affected everyone who was alive at the time, I was most surprised by the way it changed my generation. Whichever side you were on, everyone spent a lot of time researching and debating the issues. It shaped the way we became adults and the choices that we made. The veterans who came home from the war were never the same. And one person I know, who dropped out of their basic training for health reasons, changed in ways that were unexpected and shocking. The media calls us Millenials because we came of age at the change of the millennium, but I think the defining moment for my generation was 9/11. I don’t know anyone my age who wasn’t shaped in some way by those terrorist attacks.
Many of my stories touch on the issues of war, killing, and what it means to fight. The Divine Warriors series are obviously about fighting. But I think the series that has the most about war and its consequences are the Wyld Magic books. For the next few days, A Flight of Marewings is on sale for 99c. It’s part of a group promotion for Veterans Day which you can find by clicking on the banner.
