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12 Ways to Help Your Children Honor Veterans

There are many ways you can Help Your Children Honor Veterans. These are just a few things we’ve done to make sure our local veterans know how much they’re appreciated.

 

 

12 Ways to Help Your Children Honor Veterans

As a mom, I never thought much about Veteran’s Day until after I’d started interviewing World War II veterans for a novel I was writing. Yet as November neared, I knew I wanted my children to have the same privilege I did in getting to know the men and women who served our country. When Veteran’s Day arrived we pulled out paper and markers and worked on posters.

“Thank you for your service” and “Happy Veteran’s Day,” we wrote.

We got in the car and drove to the local Veteran’s Day ceremony. I was saddened to see that we were the only young family present. My kids held their posters as we listened to the speech, watched the 21-gun salute, and teared up as the bugler played Taps.

We’d planned on approaching some of the veterans after the ceremony, but they were the ones who approached us.

“Thank you for coming.”

“I like your posters.”

“Can I get my photo taken with you?” they asked.

Smiling veterans posed with my kids as their gray-haired wives snapped photographs.

Suddenly, I realized just how much us being there meant to these veterans. After that, I started considering what more we could do. Below is a list of 12 ways you can help your children honor veterans. Some of them I’ve done with my older children. The rest of the list are things I’m planning on doing once my toddler gets older.

1. Interview a veteran.

For instance, ask a family member, neighbor, or friend from church to share his or her story. Use a video camera or digital audio recorder if you have one. Here are a few questions to get you started:

:: What branch of service were you in? What type of work did you perform?
:: Tell me about a couple of your most memorable experiences.
:: What is one of the hardest things you faced?
:: What was it like to come home?
:: Anything else you want to share?

2. If you have older kids, have them do a more formal interview.

You can submit it to the Library of Congress through the Veteran’s History Project.

3. Watch the short films Der Fuehrer’s Face and Donald Duck Army Ranger produced by Disney and discuss World War II.

4. Attend a local Veterans Day parade or ceremony and make posters to take with you. More importantly, take the time to introduce yourself to the veterans afterward.

 

 

5. Write a letter to a service person through the Packages from Home Project. Those who are serving love to know people think of them and care.

6. Have children draw a picture of Veterans Day, and what this holiday means to them. If your child knows someone in the military, they can draw a picture of that person.

7. Create thank you cards and take them to veterans at a local VA hospital or retirement community.

8. Teach your children about the history of Veterans Day through a Unit Study. It’s a great way to learn how the holiday got started and about the men and women we honor.

9. Learn how to properly fold an American flag.

 

 

You can discuss what each fold means. For instance, the first fold of our flag is a symbol of life and the second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.

10. Call up your local VA hospital or VA organization and ask if there is a way your family can volunteer for the day. Who knows, you might just want to make it a regular occurrence.

11. Read a novel that deals with World War II with your teen. I wrote a few, including From Dust to Ashes and Remembering You.

 

From Dust and Ashes

 

 

12. For more activities, check out the FREE Veteran’s Day resource guide. 

Finally, when you choose one of these ideas, your family will be blessed by the veterans you connect with and they will be blessed by YOU!

 

@TriciaGoyer shares 12 ways you can help your children honor veterans

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Download the printable and work through it with your kids!

Work through Tricia Goyer's printable with your kids to help them honor veterans.

 

 

 

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Memorial Day | Don’t Let the Stories Die!

memorial day

Memorial Day is a time to remember:

In 2000, I got my idea for what came to be my first historical novel, From Dust and Ashes. Wanting to know more about the 23 men who liberated Mauthausen concentration camp, I contacted the 11th Armored Division who put me in touch with six of the veterans. These men then invited me to attend the 59th reunion of their division. I wasn’t expecting that at all. I thought they’d point me to a good research book or allow me to interview them over the phone.I felt SO unworthy to meet with these men. I knew very little about WWII, and I didn’t want my inexperience to show. Not to mention the $1000+ for airfare, hotels, rental car for a book I didn’t have a contract to write.

I urged a friend to go with me, and I’ve been so thankful we went. The men were caring and opened their hearts to me. They shared stories with me that they hadn’t shared with anyone before. They laughed. They cried. They took my hands and thanked me for caring about their story. They hugged me and kissed my cheeks.

When it came to writing my novel, I wasn’t writing about fictional characters. I was writing pieces of Charlie’s story, bits of Arthur’s experiences. The memories that made LeRoy cry made it into my book. The snapshots that Tarmo carried around in his mind for 60 years transformed into scenes in my novel (and the novels to follow!).

I get many letters from readers who say that my novels come to life on the pages–that’s because the men’s experiences came to life to me as I looked into their eyes and saw glimpses of young heroes. Also, the following year I went to Europe and walked the streets of the SS housing with a man who’d been nine-years-old when the camp opened near his home. Again, I “saw” the story in his eyes as he shared–this time from someone on the outside.

There was an added benefit to this diligent research that I didn’t expect. After my second novel Night Song came out I received a letter from a veteran. He made a list of twenty minor research points that I’d gotten right, and then he asked, “One thing I didn’t understand was the faith element of this story. Can you tell me more about your faith in God?”

YES!

Because I had done the research, I’d was able to share about my Jesus with a veteran who has since passed away.

Reach out to a veteran today and listen to his or her story! #memorialday @triciagoyer

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If you have a veteran in your life … today is the perfect day to reach out–to listen to his or her story. Don’t let the stories die, when you have a chance to make a difference.

To read some of their stories, click here.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Marion’s Favorite Month–A WWII Story

marion's story

I get a few emails from veterans every week. I shared one last week, and here’s another one I just had to share. NOW do you know why researching novels is one of my favorite things to do? I get to meet amazing men like Marion!

Marion’s Favorite Month

For the last sixty-three years, July has been a special month in my life.

July 8, 1943 was the day I turned 21-years-of-age. (Years-of-age was a term used back then.)

As was the custom when you get to be twenty-one, you escaped the family connection and could venture out on your own to seek what the future may hold. Being an upcoming farm boy, I could have avoided WWII, to be a farmer.

Or I could leave the farm life and go to war. (It so happened that on our farm, we eight boys, out of a family fourteen, worked the farm as indentured servants for our father until we were twenty-one.)

When it became my turn, I had a proposition for my father to run the farm. With the war (WWII) into its third year, the cards were in my father’s favor. He would not accept my proposition. I had no money, therefore, I could not afford to go into farming on my own. The banks would loan money for 4% interest. Bernita and I were engaged to be married, but I couldn’t afford that either. It was my choice, rather than be drafted, I would volunteer on my own to go into the military.

In the spring of 1943, Bernita had graduated from High School and, not being able to pursue a job of her liking, had to go into war production. She had to travel 60 miles to Evansville, Indiana get an apartment and go to work.

Even though we were engaged I did not feel it fair to tie her down to our commitment. I told her I may not come back from this war alive. And I almost didn’t. In the next two years and one month, I went through military training, combat, Missing in Action (MIA) for three months, POW incarceration for four months.

This included surviving starvation, cold, no shelter, and a forced march 345 miles across Germany. We fought, we prayed, we sweat, we bled, we nearly died. (Many did die).

I take pride. I am proud to have served my country, to defend the Liberty, Independence and Freedom we enjoy.

I came home on June 14, 1945. The first thing I did was go to see Bernita. I ask her if we could continue where we left off.

She said, “Yes, I waited for you.” Within a month, on July 6, 1945, we were married.

Also, on July 8, 2006 I celebrated my 84th birthday.

Our daughter Sheila was born on July 18, 1947.

Now you see why July is an important month in my life.

~Marion C. Hoffman

@TriciaGoyer shares a veteran’s WWII story on her blog!

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Are you new here? You might want to subscribe to my email updates, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, or Instagram.


Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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