If you’re like me, you don’t really know what to think of our
country now-a-days. Finally, the craziest election in our nation’s history is about
over, and it’s time for us to start talking about something else. Halloweens is
past us and it seems like everyone is gearing up for Christmas. CHRISTMAS?
Wait…we forgot a holiday! Wait- we are forgetting about two holidays, not to
mention some of the most important days on the calendar! Yes, you’re right. I’m
talking about Thanksgiving. But some of you might not realize the other holiday
I’m talking about is Veterans Day.
Honestly, growing up I didn’t realize how important Veterans Day was. I
didn’t have many connections to any veterans, as so I thought. It wasn’t until my Junior year in high school
where I realized I was wrong. In my 11th grade history class, we had
a long lesson on the Vietnam war. Our assignments included history reports,
reflection papers on videos we watched, and interviews with someone who was
directly affected by the Vietnam war. Then to complete the project, we needed
to use our creativity to physically display what we learned. I had the pleasure
of visiting Washington D.C. in the middle of the project, where I found a
t-shirt, some patches, and took pictures of the Vietnam Memorial. I went home knowing
exactly what I was going to do for my project! My finished project was a quilt
that portrayed the jungle of Vietnam, pictures of soldiers and my personal
pictures from the memorial. I also included the t-shirt and patches I found.
The next year, I helped my school plan their first Veterans Day service. I
spoke about how much I learned through our Vietnam project and just how
important it is to thank our veterans, because they aren’t told that enough. My
quilt is now on display at the Breckenridge high school year-round for everyone
to enjoy.
My story doesn’t end there. In 2011, I was involved in a
group that brought over 1,200 quilts to soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg, North
Carolina. Both my aunt and grandma get together with a group called Quilters
Embrace. Quilters Embrace is a non-profit organization of giving
people in Otter Tail County, donating their time to making quilts for Quilts of
Valor. We loaded up a bus and headed south! Of course, we had some fun along the
way, but we had one goal. To thank some of the many soldiers who serve our
country and present them with a hand-made quilt. I had the opportunity to take
pictures and blog about our travels. It was so much fun to capture all the
emotions of the trip and thank these soldiers in person!
Through all of this, I learned that you don’t need to
personally know someone to appreciate and celebrate Veteran’s Day. There are a
countless number of soldiers who don’t know me, but they are out there fighting
for my freedom. Now I have some homework for you guys! I want you to thank a
veteran this week. Maybe you call up someone you know or see someone wearing a
hat or jacket around town. As Thanksgiving gets closer, please join me in
showing them we appreciate their service!
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