Friday, November 9, 2007

Salute To Military Veterans

Greetings! Welcome to the World War II for Kids blog!

We're new to blogging, but chose to use it as a forum to connect with kids who are interested in an important piece of history: World War II. I'm the mom of 3 boys who can't soak up enough information about this subject. Christopher (11) is my junior historian, who is partnering with me in getting this blog and our website going. His brothers, Shawn (9) and Matthew (8), are also quite interested in this topic, but not yet ready to commit their time to writing about it or sharing in the research.

In honor of Veteran's Day, it seemed appropirate to salute the men and women who have served our country in time of war. Though I served in the U.S. Army for 6.5 years after graduating from West Point, I was never called to put my life on the line like so many other brave men and women out there who were called to fight in combat. In the case of World War I and II, the country stood behind our soldiers. In our more recent wars, our soldiers haven't always received that same support.

To all of you out there who have served or are serving in time of war, whether on the front lines or in rear echelons, we want to express our sincere appreciation for your service. To those who paid the ultimate price, we have not forgotten you! THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts! We owe our freedom and security to you, and many others around the world do, too!

Though I never served in combat, I try to impress upon my boys that war isn't the same as playing the video games that helped spark their interest in WWII. It's not glorious, and there's nothing fun about killing other human beings... though sometimes in the course of war, it can't be avoided. And they can't walk away from it after dying... for the 3rd time. It's different when you're really putting your life on the line or taking the life of a real person.

I welcome the input of those who have been there, serving our country in war, to share your "soldier's story" with us. We don't want to forget our history. Not only is it a big part of who we are today; but it will help us to grow and make wise decisions in the future.

Thanks for coming along with us on our journey!
marge@wwii4kids