Tuesday, November 11, is Veterans Day here in America, when we remember and honor those citizens, past and present, living and deceased who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
I've talked with my kids about family members who have served, those they have met and those who have passed away. We've looked at some old photos and talked about when and where our relatives have served. Even though they may not understand all of the history, issues, and politics involved with military affairs, it's important to talk with young children about the sacrifices servicemen and women and their families make to help protect our nation and our liberties.
Today, I asked my son if he would like to write a letter and maybe draw a picture for a family veteran, and he said yes. He actually chose to write two letters - one to my uncle who served in the Army during the Vietnam era and one to my husband's grandfather who is an Army WWII veteran.
He wrote simple letters with a greeting, a short thank you statement, and then signed his name at the end. We focused on sounding out words and spelling them correctly. I wasn't too strict sentence structure and capitalization this time, but that is definitely something you can work on during this exercise.
On the opposite side of each letter, he drew pictures - one with an eagle and one with an American flag.
If your family doesn't have a veteran or active member of the military to write to (or even if you do), consider writing a letter and sending it to Operation Gratitude, an organization that collects letters and care packages and distributes them to active military members and veterans. They provide their services year-round, so please consider sending in letters more than once a year.