Introduced to War

This weekend, I went down the shore with my family and friends for a weekend of relaxation and enjoyment. To be honest, I doubt many of us were remembering the fallen U.S. soldiers or those serving our country presently; instead, we were thinking about things like, where are we going to eat and what are we going to do. But, during the trip, I was introduced to a friend of my cousin, who had previously served in the military. He seemed very nice and personable, and after talking to him for awhile, he really began opening up to me, telling me how he had leg problems and was in constant pain, how he was suffered emotionally and mentally, and how he felt as if he wasn’t a normal part of society. His legs had blown out while he was in service and he was on several medications for mental health reasons, particularly anxiety and depression. I have read about those types of things in the newspaper or magazine articles, but in all honesty, it never hit me as hard as when I sitting there in front of someone who had been directly affected this way. Now, I know that most of this has nothing to do with really remembering the fallen soldiers, but seeing firsthand how someone had been affecting for our country’s safety made me realize that I owe at least a moment of remembrance and thankfulness to those who sacrificed their lives.