Julie Miller's Blog - Posts Tagged "veterans-day"
Happy Veterans' Day to all our Marines, soldiers, sailors, guardsmen, veterans and their families!
I just completed a story, THE MARINE NEXT DOOR, that will be out in May 2012. Writing it was a wonderful experience for me because I got to feature a hero who was near and dear to my heart--a United States Marine. Why a Marine? Not just because they look so spiffy in their uniforms. Wink I enjoyed it because I got to draw on the veterans in my life for inspiration.
Every year I debate whether I sign up to blog on November 10th--the Marine Corps birthday--or November 11th, Veterans Day here in the US. For as long as I can remember, the 10th was practically a holiday at our house. My dad, a retired USMC veteran from the Korean Conflict, always called us kids to say Happy Birthday on November 10th. In later years, we'd try to beat him to the punch and call him first (or send a card) to let him know we'd remembered the Marine Corps' birthday. There was Semper Fi and Camp Usher and a lot of patriotism and pride running through Dad's blood, long after he retired from the Corps, the Reserves, and went into business and teaching. I never knew him to wear his hair in anything other than a crewcut, and he'd get antsy about getting to the barber if his hair so much as brushed against his ear. Innocent
Dad also made a point of speaking to, shaking hands with, and thanking any active duty or veteran military personnel and their families he met throughout his life. Sometimes, I wondered how he spotted them when they were out of uniform--at an airport, at a gas station, on vacation, etc. Sure, some had bumper stickers that proudly stated their son was in the Army, or they sported a tattoo of the Corps' eagle, earth and anchor on a bicep, or they wore a ballcap like my father-in-law, with the name of the Navy battleship they served on.
But just as often, the people my father greeted looked like you and me. They were normal, everyday people with their families and friends, just going about their business. But there's a shared spirit among the military and their families, I think--an internal radar of one hero recognizing another. They share a bond of pride and honor. They understand duty and hard choices and loss. They command respect and give it when earned. Some laugh well; some think deeply. They know the value of life and friendship and support. They stand and remove their hats and cover their hearts when they see their country's flag or hear the hymn from their branch of the military. And they are humble or practical enough to believe they are/were just doing their job when called to serve or to send a loved one into danger.
One of the few times in my life I ever saw my dad get emotional--or admit to any fear--were the times he sent his younger son--my brother--into an overseas war zone, first as a Marine, and more recently as an Army officer. I see a lot of my dad in my "little" brother. Quiet on the surface. Super smart. Loves structure. Loves sports. Wicked sense of humor. Big laugh. Family man. (See? Lots of heroic traits to put in my hero, Capt. John Murdock Wink) I've been blessed to grow up with the family I did. And while I'm so proud to have these veterans in my family, I'm even more grateful that they're just my dad and my brother (well, there was that phase my brother went through at about 4 or 5 where he took great joy in kicking me in the shins with his pointy cowboy boots when I would have traded him for a nickel, but I digress... Innocent).
My point is this--the men and women we're honoring today are heroes, yes. But veterans are more than that. They're moms and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters. They teach. They play sports. They work in hospitals. They build roads. Thank them, yes. Honor them. But remember, too, to shake their hand and laugh with them and hug them... and call them on days that are important to them.
Do you have a special veteran or active-duty personnel member in your family or circle of friends? An ancestor whose service makes you proud, or adds an interesting twist to the family tree? Share the name of someone you'd like to honor or remember today. Tell a bit of their story, too, if you like. I'll give away a copy of my December Intrigue, NANNY 911, or a backlist title to one lucky poster.
Thank you to our veterans and their families!
Julie Miller
NANNY 911-Dec 2011
SAFE IN HIS ARMS-Harlequin Showcase (UK), Dec 2012
ICE LAKE-(Anthology w/ BJ Daniels & Delores Fossen) Jan 2012
THE MARINE NEXT DOOR-May 2012
Big Book GiveAway this month at www.juliemiller.org
I just completed a story, THE MARINE NEXT DOOR, that will be out in May 2012. Writing it was a wonderful experience for me because I got to feature a hero who was near and dear to my heart--a United States Marine. Why a Marine? Not just because they look so spiffy in their uniforms. Wink I enjoyed it because I got to draw on the veterans in my life for inspiration.
Every year I debate whether I sign up to blog on November 10th--the Marine Corps birthday--or November 11th, Veterans Day here in the US. For as long as I can remember, the 10th was practically a holiday at our house. My dad, a retired USMC veteran from the Korean Conflict, always called us kids to say Happy Birthday on November 10th. In later years, we'd try to beat him to the punch and call him first (or send a card) to let him know we'd remembered the Marine Corps' birthday. There was Semper Fi and Camp Usher and a lot of patriotism and pride running through Dad's blood, long after he retired from the Corps, the Reserves, and went into business and teaching. I never knew him to wear his hair in anything other than a crewcut, and he'd get antsy about getting to the barber if his hair so much as brushed against his ear. Innocent
Dad also made a point of speaking to, shaking hands with, and thanking any active duty or veteran military personnel and their families he met throughout his life. Sometimes, I wondered how he spotted them when they were out of uniform--at an airport, at a gas station, on vacation, etc. Sure, some had bumper stickers that proudly stated their son was in the Army, or they sported a tattoo of the Corps' eagle, earth and anchor on a bicep, or they wore a ballcap like my father-in-law, with the name of the Navy battleship they served on.
But just as often, the people my father greeted looked like you and me. They were normal, everyday people with their families and friends, just going about their business. But there's a shared spirit among the military and their families, I think--an internal radar of one hero recognizing another. They share a bond of pride and honor. They understand duty and hard choices and loss. They command respect and give it when earned. Some laugh well; some think deeply. They know the value of life and friendship and support. They stand and remove their hats and cover their hearts when they see their country's flag or hear the hymn from their branch of the military. And they are humble or practical enough to believe they are/were just doing their job when called to serve or to send a loved one into danger.
One of the few times in my life I ever saw my dad get emotional--or admit to any fear--were the times he sent his younger son--my brother--into an overseas war zone, first as a Marine, and more recently as an Army officer. I see a lot of my dad in my "little" brother. Quiet on the surface. Super smart. Loves structure. Loves sports. Wicked sense of humor. Big laugh. Family man. (See? Lots of heroic traits to put in my hero, Capt. John Murdock Wink) I've been blessed to grow up with the family I did. And while I'm so proud to have these veterans in my family, I'm even more grateful that they're just my dad and my brother (well, there was that phase my brother went through at about 4 or 5 where he took great joy in kicking me in the shins with his pointy cowboy boots when I would have traded him for a nickel, but I digress... Innocent).
My point is this--the men and women we're honoring today are heroes, yes. But veterans are more than that. They're moms and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters. They teach. They play sports. They work in hospitals. They build roads. Thank them, yes. Honor them. But remember, too, to shake their hand and laugh with them and hug them... and call them on days that are important to them.
Do you have a special veteran or active-duty personnel member in your family or circle of friends? An ancestor whose service makes you proud, or adds an interesting twist to the family tree? Share the name of someone you'd like to honor or remember today. Tell a bit of their story, too, if you like. I'll give away a copy of my December Intrigue, NANNY 911, or a backlist title to one lucky poster.
Thank you to our veterans and their families!
Julie Miller
NANNY 911-Dec 2011
SAFE IN HIS ARMS-Harlequin Showcase (UK), Dec 2012
ICE LAKE-(Anthology w/ BJ Daniels & Delores Fossen) Jan 2012
THE MARINE NEXT DOOR-May 2012
Big Book GiveAway this month at www.juliemiller.org
