Some days are Sunny, others are a B*tch

Blogging Circle for Nov. 11

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”~ John F. Kennedy


Since this is Veteran’s Day, I want to reflect on the veterans in our family that I am so proud of. But to start with, I chose President Kennedy’s quote because I remember him so well as a President. I was seven when he was elected and actually remember the Bay of Pigs and then the Cuban Missile Crisis. I remember watching the news at night and my parents talking about it. I also remember the Civil Rights movement going on and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. meeting with the President about voting rights. There was the New Frontier plan that he was working on implementing.

During World War II, Kennedy commanded a series of PT boats in the Pacific theater and earned the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his service and war heroism. I remember after his assassination, there was a traveling exhibit of pieces from his administration that came to Atlanta. Among them was his rocking chair, the coconut shell he had scratched S.O.S. on when he was stranded along with the soldier he rescued, injured himself he swam for miles in rough waters. Heroism like that really made an impression on me.

Since he was President various stories have come out to hurt his reputation and I am sure some are true. He was a mortal man after all and made mistakes but he was also a commanding presence and public servant. He could have lived well off his wealthy father’s money but Kennedys were taught “to whom much is given, much is expected”. As President, he accomplished many important promises until his life was cut short.

My own personal heroes are my Dad, Carl Carpenter, who served 3 years in WW2 on the front lines. He never wanted to speak about it but I know he was there when Dachau Concentration camp was liberated and his best friend died in his arms. He was hit also and earned a Purple Heart plus many other medals. He died in 1988 at age 65 of lymphoma and I spent the last 2 months with him. We talked about many personal things, he must have finally felt free enough to discuss. He was a man that lived by a code of conduct that included integrity and fairness for all people. I know he wasn’t a saint but to me, he was a wonderful person and father; a true role model.

Both of our sons are veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Chris's Humvee was hit by an IED.
He had surgery in Germany for internal injuries. Mike was stationed on the base in operations but they faced incoming fire constantly. They both came home to us. Chris had a wife and new baby waiting for him. Both of them are heroes for the very fact that they wanted to go serve and did it proudly. They both suffer with PTSD and were around burn pits where toxic substances were destroyed. They are true patriots, and not anything like the people that broke into our nation’s Capital on Jan. 6, 2021. They live by the code of honor that means love of our country, our laws and our constitution. I am a proud daughter and mother.