Dmmetler Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 My dad (and his long time friend, my childhood BFF's dad) are going on an honor flight later this fall. They've asked friends and family to send letter that they'll be given on their way home, and I'm completely spacing as to what to write, for either of them. Does anyone have any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 Start with Thank you for your service. Then go from there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 Ways in which you (and / or your children, through you) are living the freedom that America offers, and how you are (and will continue) preserving the heritage his generation sacrificed for. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 We do these all the time through school and my dad was military. Thank you for your service to start. Family photos. Patriotic or Military themed drawings if you’re artsy (my students usually do directed drawings). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyMom5 Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 I went on one a while back- amazing experience. If he needs a sponsor volunteer! See lots of DC memorials with no wait, police escort to and from the air port, front of the line everywhere you go! (You will be exhausted afterwards, but its worth it). Each veteran gets a packet of letters from family and also anyone who wants to send them! I'm not sure if your dad or the friends dad are the veteran, but I would say Thank you for your service. Tell them you are proud of the example they have set, value all they have shown you in life, etc. It is very moving to see. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 Are they the type that would appreciate being thanked for their service? Many veterans bristle at it, because the thanks is empty, full of platitude and no understanding of the actual job. I'd write it with an air of appreciation, but stay away from "FREEDOM" as a theme. Add details about their service that you know/stories they've shared, and a desire to know more after this trip. Thank them for being the type of people that did what needed to be done, and noting how it became a part of them, that duty and honor were embodied in their approach to life. Appreciate that you know it wasn't always easy, and they carried a lot. If you have candid pictures of them in uniform or with you, add those in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 (edited) 4 hours ago, HomeAgain said: I'd write it with an air of appreciation, but stay away from "FREEDOM" as a theme. Good point, especially if the veteran was conscripted. I can see how this type of ceremony could be triggering for many. @Dmmetler I hope that this ceremony is seen as a positive thing for your dad, and that he enjoys the experience. If it were me and my dad, I'd be all excited about it, but it would also be an oppotunity to open a dialogue with my dad to ask more about what his experience in the Air Force was actually like. I know that it was full of bad days, but also good things. Edited August 30 by wintermom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 19 minutes ago, wintermom said: Good point, especially if the veteran was conscripted. I can see how this type of ceremony could be triggering for many. Honestly, it's more than that. Many veterans, if you say something like "you sacrificed for our freedom" or anything else that alludes to their time as directly preserving the freedom of America, they will give you a forced smile, say thank you, and silently want to tell you to f off. They don't feel like the US has had its freedom in question since before they were born, and they weren't a part in preserving that or making it happen. More modern day veterans, from the 1960s on, have more of a feeling of being a cog in a larger wheel. The displays that civilians do can be....uncomfortable. The airman who was in the motor pool for 4 years or the marine who rocked supply for 10 years don't think you quite understand if you extend that sort of platitude. And there's all the little stories that are happy-sad: laughing about doing the first round of touch-and-gos and finding a use for that paper bag mingled with the loss of a friend whose PTSD led him to set himself on fire. The entire friend group getting awful tattoos on a drunken night and the ringleader of that lost to an IED a year later. The twisted award that you're the only one of your former group who isn't an alcoholic, depressed, or dead. Best of the best of the best, sir. The top .01%. Isn't it funny how it shakes out the weak? Yeah, freedom is a trigger word for a lot of vets because it's the sort of American nonsense that glosses over the humanity and the truth to put a shiny spin on it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 (edited) 20 minutes ago, HomeAgain said: Yeah, freedom is a trigger word for a lot of vets because it's the sort of American nonsense that glosses over the humanity and the truth to put a shiny spin on it. In Canada we don't tend use the word 'freedom' in the same way, and our roles in WW1 and WW2 were very different than the US. In WW2 in particular, we were helping keep our 'mother country' free from invaders and it was a very real, practical thing. However WW1 was a 'sh!t show' for everyone, but especially the Canadians. This is in the context of our Canadian veterans. To my knowledge, we don't have an honor flight for individuals. We tend to use Remembrance Day (Nov 11) to show our respect and appreciation for veterans while as many as possible are present at the various ceremonies in towns and cities across the country. Edited August 30 by wintermom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted August 30 Author Share Posted August 30 11 hours ago, BusyMom5 said: I went on one a while back- amazing experience. If he needs a sponsor volunteer! See lots of DC memorials with no wait, police escort to and from the air port, front of the line everywhere you go! (You will be exhausted afterwards, but its worth it). Each veteran gets a packet of letters from family and also anyone who wants to send them! I'm not sure if your dad or the friends dad are the veteran, but I would say Thank you for your service. Tell them you are proud of the example they have set, value all they have shown you in life, etc. It is very moving to see. They both are Vietnam vets who were drafted out of college/grad school. My dad did basic in San Antonio and was then, since he was a Phd Chemistry student at the time, sent to a research lab where he worked on insect control and defoliants, and, for many years, felt guilty because he stayed stateside in relative safety (although he is followed medically by the VA because some of the substances he was working with have turned out to be pretty dangerous for humans). His friend claims he spent the entire war driving trucks and moving boxes-he was placed in logistics and procurement. My Dad had never really been involved in Veteran's stuff-his friend was because he was a boy scout leader for many years and had connected with it that way, and once my mom died, his friend pulled him into the veterans groups, and my dad found he fit in better than he'd expected (and having other veterans tell him how important his work was helped a lot). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Dmmetler said: They both are Vietnam vets who were drafted out of college/grad school. My dad did basic in San Antonio and was then, since he was a Phd Chemistry student at the time, sent to a research lab where he worked on insect control and defoliants, and, for many years, felt guilty because he stayed stateside in relative safety (although he is followed medically by the VA because some of the substances he was working with have turned out to be pretty dangerous for humans). His friend claims he spent the entire war driving trucks and moving boxes-he was placed in logistics and procurement. My Dad had never really been involved in Veteran's stuff-his friend was because he was a boy scout leader for many years and had connected with it that way, and once my mom died, his friend pulled him into the veterans groups, and my dad found he fit in better than he'd expected (and having other veterans tell him how important his work was helped a lot). My fil was drafted as well (he was American). He also did basic training and then managed to get out before being sent on active duty. He gathered with his army buddies every year until he was no longer able to. His best friend was also with him in basic training. Even though it was a relatively short time, the experience clearly had a lasting impact on his life. Edited August 30 by wintermom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyMom5 Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 16 minutes ago, Dmmetler said: They both are Vietnam vets who were drafted out of college/grad school. My dad did basic in San Antonio and was then, since he was a Phd Chemistry student at the time, sent to a research lab where he worked on insect control and defoliants, and, for many years, felt guilty because he stayed stateside in relative safety (although he is followed medically by the VA because some of the substances he was working with have turned out to be pretty dangerous for humans). His friend claims he spent the entire war driving trucks and moving boxes-he was placed in logistics and procurement. My Dad had never really been involved in Veteran's stuff-his friend was because he was a boy scout leader for many years and had connected with it that way, and once my mom died, his friend pulled him into the veterans groups, and my dad found he fit in better than he'd expected (and having other veterans tell him how important his work was helped a lot). Awesome! Every vet needs a guardian- a family member or a volunteer. If you or your daughter want to go with him, it's a great experience! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted August 30 Author Share Posted August 30 2 hours ago, BusyMom5 said: Awesome! Every vet needs a guardian- a family member or a volunteer. If you or your daughter want to go with him, it's a great experience! I'm hoping my brother or SIL will-they're a lot closer geographically than I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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