“Did you kill someone?” The question is much too common. As always, our veterans will sigh and look away; their hearts know the truth. They vividly remember the pain and suffering of their friends and allies, whether they were in Iwo Jima or Germany; Vietnam or the Middle East. They easily recall the times when they missed their homeland, their families, what gave them the power to stay in the name of liberty. They gave their all for their country; their life, family, even their sanity. Is one day in their honor sufficient?

Before, I didn’t have much empathy for veterans, until they became a part of my life. My cousin Sean served a four year tour with the Marine Corps, protecting al Taquaddum Airbase in Fallujah. In our minds was permanently the Marines motto: Semper Fidelis. Always faithful. We placed a yellow ribbon around our tree in his support, and like that ribbon, we were always faithful, hoping for his safe return. We didn’t receive much information about him: one call in six months, a welcome surprise. He said he was fine, but we could tell it wasn’t so. When he arrived back, his features were unchanged, but beneath that façade were mental scars; he was shaken like a dog that had been abused.

We celebrated Sean’s safe passage and talked to him about his experience in the Iraq. He talked to his serviceman friends about life, but death was a topic not to be discussed. An attempt to speak about killing would yield no response. I saw this in Sean’s photos. Each picture encompassed sadness or death in some way, whether it be a corpse or a burning building. That was a home for someone. Death is not something to be taken lightly.

Every veteran is someone’s child. They have a mother and a father, people who care about them. Many have children who haven’t known a parent for most of their life. There are almost as many who are mourned by their parents, spouses and children. Those children will never know a father or sometimes a mother. Veterans are people just like us. They have chosen a different cause to volunteer for. They give not only their time: they are willing to give their lives, their sanity, for the principle called freedom. This freedom and the sacrifice it entails are the reasons we honor our country’s veterans.