Have you hugged a vet today?

by | Friday | November 11, 2011 | 4 comments

Whenever someone makes a reference to vets, I have to step back for a minute and look at the context. Are they talking about veterinarians or veterans? I am a veterinarian living in a military town, so in my world, it’s 50/50. What an honor to share a name with this group, though, isn’t it?

This weekend is my big blogathon, my biggest fundraiser of the year. I’m going to spend the night at a big cat sanctuary and have fun and shenanigans and post a bunch of stuff and hopefully help out a really worthy cause. It will be fun. And despite all my fears about a zombie apocalypse, I think come Sunday night I will still be alive.

Photo from US Navy

And while I’m goofing off and having fun, there will be men and women in real danger in far-flung corners of the world. Their spouses and children wait at home, praying the doorbell doesn’t ring at 4 in the morning with a somber faced retinue on the doorstep. I think of my friend Amber, pregnant with her second child while her husband is in Japan; of my dad, a Navy veteran who makes sure his flag is neatly flying every morning at the house; of the men and women sleeping in a tent somewhere missing their families; and also, of course, of the animals who have given their lives willingly in service of the country. It’s so much more than the service men and women, it is their families and the sacrifices they make that I also want to honor and remember today, as I walk around in my safe and secure world.

In honor of the day, I want to draw attention to Pets for Patriots, a wonderful organization that brings the benefits of pet ownership to veterans and active duty military while also helping adult shelter animals find a good home. Beth Zimmerman has built the organization from the ground up and I am amazed at what she has accomplished in such a short amount of time. What a lovely way to honor both animals and veterans. I am so honored to have gotten the chance to get to know Beth.

Tomorrow I will be back in usual form, making a scene and blowing this place up with shenanigans, because that is what I do best. But today, while I rest and prepare, I want to take a breath, and honor those who work and sacrifice so much for their fellow citizens.

To my dad and my father-in-law;

To Ryan and Amber;

To Amanda and John;

and to all active duty and veterans, and their families, on this Veteran’s Day:

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I am grateful every day for what you do.

Comments are open today for anyone who has someone in particular they would like to honor- I would love to hear your stories!

Filed: Blog, Daily Life, Musings Tagged: ,
  • Tamara

    Very touching…thinking of my loved ones who served and all those who have :)

  • http://greeneggsandhamlet.wordpress.com Greeneggsandhamlet

    My Grandad served in the army in World War II. And my Grammy (his wife) was the strongest supporter I know and a great lover of dogs, which I have gladly inherited. They’ve both passed on but I like to think that all of the dogs they had in life are with them now.

  • Anonymous

    Very poignant! My grandpa was avWWII vet. He was a pilot and was shot down over Germany and spent about a year in a German POW camp. I can’t imagine my own son going through something like that while in his 20s. The stories he told of his experiences were unbelievable. Even though he’s no longer around, I am still as proud as ever that he’s my grandpa!

  • Abby’s Mom

    I would like to honor my Grandpa who volunteered for the army during his senior year of high school during WWII and my cousin and her husband. He served in Iraq while she lived on her own in a military base in Alaska. We are all happy he’s safely back home now. Lots of thanks to those still serving and for those who didn’t make it back home.