Children of Soldiers

That's me on the left and my playmate beside me. 

We were at the seventh base our fathers had been sent to during their Air Force training, this time in Columbus, Ohio where they both were in Transition School, from training planes to combat planes, the B-17. 

I've written in other years of blogging on Veteran's Day about my father's training and his brothers' service and once wrote about a woman veteran [here], but today I'm thinking about the children of soldiers and the spouses and partners of soldiers. 

I was too young to remember any of my father's days in WW II but I grew up hearing stories of this time and the wonderful families Mama and I stayed with near the bases, waiting for our Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon time with Daddy. 

In Columbus, Ohio Mama and I both found a friend, another Air Force wife who was married to an American pilot of Japanese family, and their daughter.

I don't remember many of Mama's stories about my little friend and her mother, only that they were both young and in love with their husbands and looked forward to the weekend when the men were free to be with their families. 

Between that time the two women watched us play together but I can only imagine the conversations they shared, these two young mothers, far away from their own mothers and families.

My friend Tammy talks often about her beloved nephew who serves in the Air Force and his wife and their two sons who are growing up seeing their father deployed. I won't share her personal stories of them here but this family is just one of the thousands who sacrifice time with their loved ones in service to our country.

I don't even remember the name of my playmate. I wish so much I had written down more of my parents' stories. But when I look at her photo I hope she had a lifetime of growing up with her father, just as I did. 

And today I'm thinking of the children of soldiers, hoping for the same thing for them.

Are you a child of a soldier, of a veteran? If you are, it would make me so happy to have you write about him or her here. 

Fall of the Berlin Wall

On November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall came down.

Many of us know and even remember the day two years earlier that U.S. President Ronald Reagan spoke the memorable words, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," but do we know the other story?

The story of how the people of Leipzig, East Germany prayed for peace touches my heart every time I read it so I decided to share it here in case you've never heard it.

In the spring of 1989, Christian Führer, the pastor of St. Nicholas [in Leipzig] decided one Monday evening to hold a prayer service for peace in the world. A few people attended. Pastor Führer held another prayer service the next Monday. More people attended. Into the summer, the Monday evening prayer service continued--and the numbers grew. The sanctuary of St. Nicholas can hold 1,000 people. By the end of the summer, the people were spilling out the doors. Every Monday night--no sermons, no political references--just prayers for peace.

On Monday, October 9, 1,000 people were in the sanctuary, and 70,000 more were in the streets, holding candles and singing hymns. The next Monday, October 16, there were 120,000 people praying for peace. The following Monday, there were 320,000--two thirds of the city's population. On the following Monday, 500,000 people prayed and sang for peace. Ten days later, on November 9, the Berlin Wall came down. 

Jim Munroe

The Mockingbird Devotional 

Isn't this story powerful?