According to VA statistics there are 1.8 million Veterans living in Texas and they make up 12% of the population. That means living in the San Antonio area you either are a Veteran, have a family member who is one, or are in walking distance to someone on your street who is one. The fact that surprised me is how many of those Veterans are women. In Texas there are approximately 145,000 women Veterans. It’s not unusual to find many families having both parents in the service.
This was specifically brought home to me at church today,
when the pastor asked people to stand if they were currently in the service or
were Veterans or had a family member who was serving or who had served in the
military. It looked like 95% of the people stood up. In chatting with some of
the people sitting near me, I heard about the time spent apart when a family
member is deployed. That means all the work of the family now falls on the
shoulders of the parent still at home and a readjustment months later when the
other spouse returns. I love my husband and am sad when we’ve been apart for a
couple of days for business trips; I know how hard it would be to be separated
for months. Yet these families do it year in and out.
Living here I have the daily reminder of those who serve to
keep our country safe and to aid others around the world towards that same
goal. I thank God for their service and pray for their safe return as well as
peace and comfort for their families until their homecoming. These men and
women are true patriots, so when you see one in uniform make sure to take the
time to say “Thank you for your service.” They don’t hear it enough –
especially our women in uniform. Let them know that their sacrifice of being
away from home is greatly appreciated!
God Bless our Troops and the Families Who Wait Their Return
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