Remembering Military Families

By Jeanine Hayden

Jeanine C. Hayden is a contributor for the Cipher Brief. She is on the Board of Governors of the National Military Family Association.

As Veterans Day approaches, I find myself thinking about the veterans in my family—three generations. There is my 95-year-old father-in-law, who did his World War II service as an enlisted man in the Army in North Africa, Italy, and France. Next is my husband, whose nearly 40-year Air Force career started during the Vietnam War, continued on through the First Gulf War, and wars in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has since retired, but the War on Terror continues. And there is our daughter, who began her Air Force career during the First Gulf War. She served five years on active duty and another 15 as a reservist.

A few weeks after 9/11, she was recalled to active duty. At the time, our granddaughter was only two years old.

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