Thank you to all who have sacrificed

To the editor:

Every year on Nov. 11 we celebrate Veterans Day. Veterans remember the “old days.” There are often parades, ceremonies, songs and commemorations. But there are two groups of people who are closely associated with these veterans that are pushed aside in celebrations and forgotten. These two groups have no parades or ceremonies, there are no songs written for them. They receive no decorations or recognition of any type.

I’ll address each group separately. One group is an integral part of the veterans returning from war. While they wait for the veteran, they watch every news report and fear grips their hearts when there is an unexpected knock at the door. Their ages vary from very young to very old. These are the ones who keep the home fires burning. They are the ones that pay the day-to-day bills, keep the houses in order. They are the ones who may wait for hours for a delayed airplane in the snow, rain or blistering heat for that first glimpse of a loved one. They are the ones who watch the veterans return to a somewhat normal life. They cannot do much, but what they do, at least this veteran finds invaluable.

For those who may not have caught on this group of people are families of veterans. They are the forgotten heroes of every veteran. They are the widows and orphans of a loved one who will never come home. They are brothers and sisters without a sibling. They are parents who had to bury a child.

The second group are those who never get to the battlefield, they are the ones who die in training accidents, car accidents or other ways that are not directly connected to war. Their families fade into obscurity. There are no walls to visit or days of remembrance outside their own families. In most cases, nothing is ever said to acknowledge their lives or accomplishments.

There is a long history from the beginning of the country of these two groups, but still there are no songs, parades or decorations — or even the faintest recognition or thank you — for these devoted, patient and loving families.

I have had the opportunity to stand on both sides of the situation. For me, personally, I would rather be the one going to war than the one waiting. From this veteran I would like to say thank you to all who have sacrificed by waiting or burying a loved one who made the sacrifice outside the zone of combat. You are the ones who make the job worth it all. You are the ones who really bring the veterans home.

Mike Blodgett

Wasilla