Chapter 45 - H is for Hero

I would be totally remiss as a wife, mother, friend, and American not to recognize Veterans Day in my blog. I have been blessed to have many military men in my life starting with my grandfather,

father and uncle, to my husband, my son, to friends, and the sons of my best friend. I admire everything they do, work towards, and stand for, and have never met a more dedicated group of individuals.

A lot of people confuse Veterans Day with Memorial Day. Veteran's Day was initially called Armistice Day and was in remembrance of the end of World War I which ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 and was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. It honors those who have served as opposed to those who have died in service to their country as Memorial Day does. (The official spelling by the way, is Veterans Day as it is a day honoring veterans, not Veteran's Day, which would be a day attributed to veterans.)

Here then, are some terrific books to remember those who have served.

Letters from the Trenches: The First World War by Those Who Were There by Jacqueline Wadsworth - The first fully mechanized war left scars across Europe and set the stage for World War II. What the was was really like is revealed in this collection of letters written by people who were there.

We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of the American Women Trapped on Bataan by Elizabeth Norman - There are many wonderful books written about World War II and the men who served. In We Band of Angels, Elizabeth Norman has written about Army and Navy nurses stationed in the Philippines, captured and put into internment camps by Japanese invaders. If you don't know this story, you should.

Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice by Adam Makos - This is one of my favorite Korean War books. The 1950's were prosperous years but besieged by many momentous events - McCarthyism, civil rights, and the Korean War. The story of two Navy fighter pilots during the Chosin Reservoir campaign is one you need to read.

We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young: Ia Drang—The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. In November, 1965 young men of the First Battalion, Seventh Cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. Harold Moore, were dropped into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. There were 450 of them and they were quickly surrounded by about 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers in this first major engagement of the Vietnam War.

American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle and Scott McEwan - Although there are many books I could have picked about our military encounters within the last 30 years, I picked Kyle's book. Chris Kyle was a Navy seal who, from 1999 to 2009, recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. His book tells the reader about his training and skills as well as his struggles when he came home.

Thanks to all who serve or who have served our country!