Orcas Chrisitian School kids reflect on Veterans’ Day | Letters

Published 1:54 pm Wednesday, November 14, 2012

We honor veterans on Veterans Day. My grandpa is one of those veterans. He was drafted into the military and sent to Korea. My grandpa was lucky and never saw any action. His job was repairing and maintaining communication lines.

Whenever I think about my grandpa leaving the farm to go to Korea, I think about how sad his mom probably was because he didn’t have a choice. This is one reason we should honor veterans, because they put their own lives aside to make ours better.

You might think veterans are people who are older like my grandpa, but the truth is there are veterans that are still very young. These are people we honor who have fought in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. I honor these men and women for being brave and having the courage to want to protect the freedoms and rights of others.

I wish the world were a peaceful place, and we didn’t need armies and fighting. Until that day comes, I am very grateful for the veterans that have served our country and the world.

Cole Smith

Seventh Grade

Freedom, something we take for granted every day. Do we ever stop and think about who risked their lives to give us that freedom? Some of those people who fought for our freedom are the people we see every day.

Dr. Steven Bailey served in the army and the navy. The best part he said for him was traveling. When he was stationed in Korea, he met his wife Rita.

One thing that made it hard was that he was away from his family. He said he once had to be deployed for six months. One of the hardest parts for his wife was the low income. For the kids, it was their dad’s deployment. When Dr. Bailey returned from his times away, he made sure to spend time with his family. When Dr. Bailey was deployed his son, who was six at the time, missed him badly. Mrs. Bailey remembers him crying when his dad wasn’t there to read bedtime stories. Later, they decided if Dr. Bailey should stay serving the navy. It was four votes yes, and one vote no. That one vote was the vote of his son, Christian Bailey.

When Dr. Bailey was in the army, he was an intelligence analyst. Intelligence analysts work with the information about opponents. He went into the army right out of high school. After serving, he became a dentist and the military paid for his dental schooling.

Dr. Bailey says he never regretted serving, and that if he had the opportunity, he would be willing to serve again. Serving taught him discipline and about the different cultures in the world.

As a veteran Dr. Bailey said he feels appreciated, and that the appreciation for veterans is much better now compared to the time of Vietnam.

I am very grateful for the services of all the veterans. I am so glad I got to interview Dr. Bailey and Mrs. Bailey. Sometimes we all need to look around and see the heroes in our everyday lives and get to know their stories. I did and it changed my whole view on Veteran’s Day.

Stephanie Harris

Eighth grade

We walk past them every day, without even knowing it.  We say hello to them, not knowing what they did for our country.  They are Veterans, who are not recognized for the freedom they’ve helped contribute to our country.  In a recent interview with my great uncle, Jerry Flaherty, he said: “I’ve heard some stories about people coming back from Iraq, with mental and physical disabilities.  Some of these people are not being treated for, and are left to suffer; even though their disabilities were caused from serving our country.”

“I served in the military because it was a family tradition; all of my uncles did it.  I also wanted to be patriotic, to do something for my country, and to serve and be a part of our nation’s freedom,” said Jerry.  “Boot camp was, well, first they give you a really, really short haircut; so there is basically none left.  Then we do a lot of marching, training, and physical activity.  They were long, hard hours, but I can see why we did it.  I can see why the training was so physical and strenuous.  It was a drastic change from civilian life to military life,” my great uncle said.

Life in the military is tough; they train, eat, sleep, and then train some more.  When soldiers have reached their physical peak, they are sent off to war knowing their own life is at risk.  Veterans, who have fought in the war, have given us what we take for granted most- our freedom.   So, why are they treated without respect?  Or even recognition?

Recent studies suggest that one third of 1.7 million veterans suffer from unemployment, depression, mental and physical disabilities.  Many do not receive proper treatment; many are homeless.  We should guarantee training and a job for all veterans when they come back from war.  We should give health insurance and medical treatment for all who served our country.  They have willingly put their lives on the line for our freedom; let’s show them some respect. Veterans are our heroes, and deserve our appreciation and gratitude.

Maddy Hance

Seventh Grade