A Family of Veterans

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Zack

A poster thanking veterans hangs in the school hallway.

Melia Blackwell, Opinions Editor

As for today, Nov. 11, 2021 it is Veterans Day. With the veterans who served, the people who have veterans in their families take this day to either remember them or thank them.

Living in a military family as I do, has its benefits and it’s disadvantages. Some advantages include the discounts some places offer, and the money they make after retirement. 

Dennis Norman, a retired Air Force Veteran and Postal Service worker who lives out in Eastern Washington has 4 retirements. He’s receiving his wife’s, Kathrine Norman, retirement due to her passing and his own after working for the Air Force and the Post Office for 20 plus years each. 

His grandson, Christian Norman, decided to follow his footsteps into the military but instead of the Air Force he chose the Navy. His goal is to be a Navy Seal which takes 20 years to work for. He is over the five-year mark but has recently gotten married and had a baby.

Dennis after he had been married and in the military for a few years had two kids, the first, Dustin Norman, in Spain, the second Stephanie Norman in Florida. They spent a lot of their time moving around to different military bases in different states like California and Arizona.

When you spend a lot of your time moving around you have to experience moving schools, and the stress of moving houses. 

Some people, like Jeff Harris, who was stationed in Italy 3 years ago have now been stationed again for another four years with his wife and two kids. 

Sadly, his family in Post Falls and Rathdrum Idaho have to learn their schedule because they are so much further ahead of us in time zones they are 8 hours ahead from the current time in Idaho.

Other families have lost loved ones in service due to multiple reasons. Today is a day where it takes little to no effort to thank someone for their service. Especially the people who are in those military based families.