I grew up in a home where we flew the flag above the garage door every day. My Dad, who served as a United States Army Green Beret in Vietnam and later served in the Army Reserves, would salute the flag when he came home from a drill weekend in his uniform. He took my brother, sister, and I to veterans’ cemeteries on Memorial Day to attend remembrance ceremonies, and more than once we visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, and made rubbings of his friends’ names who had died in that war.
It was only natural that when it came time for me to choose a path in life that I, too, stepped up to serve our great nation as a United States Navy helicopter pilot. I met my husband, who flew F/A-18s, in flight school, and we now have children who serve in the Navy. I spent some of the best years of my life on missions, some in harm’s way, with military members who became like family to me. A life of service is one that is well-lived.
Veterans Day is a time when we pause to thank those who have stepped up to serve and to protect the greatest gift we have been given: to live and raise our families in a free and safe country. The freedoms we enjoy are not free and it is critical that we remember those who have fought for our American values and those who made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives in defense of all we hold dear.
It is critical that we remember those who have fought for our American values and those who made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives in defense of all we hold dear.
When I got out of the Navy after ten years, I went to nursing school on my GI Bill and became a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner. I was able to serve my country again by taking care of so many members of our Greatest Generation who were veterans. There was always an instant trust between myself as a healthcare provider and my patients when we shared that bond of service. Taking care of those who suffered both visible and invisible wounds of war was truly a privilege and enabled me to hear many stories of sacrifice and service from some of the most patriotic Americans I have ever met. We owe them a debt that can never be repaid.
It is important now more than ever that we continue to share these stories with our younger generations. It is disheartening to me that our next generation of leaders are growing up in a world muddied with groups who wish to influence them with unpatriotic sentiments. We must continue to educate our youth on the cost of freedom and the value of military service in our great nation. Veterans are best suited to provide that education by sharing their tales of deployments, sea stories, and battle sagas.
The world continues to be a dangerous place. As we watch conflicts unfold in places like Ukraine and Israel, I am reminded how critical it is for us to attract motivated young men and women to serve in our all-volunteer force. A life of service in the military is amazingly rewarding. Not only are the benefits unmatched in the civilian world, but the gratification of serving on a great team that protects and defends our American values is a job like no other.
As the country pauses on this Veterans Day to honor Americans who have served, I would like to echo the appreciation of my military friends and colleagues who have been a part of our incredible military and the families and civilians who have supported them. We remember their service and are thankful for their sacrifice, not only on Veterans Day but every day.
Jen Kiggans represents the 2nd District of Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives. She spent 10 years in the U.S. Navy, where she served as a pilot flying H-46 and H-3 helicopters and completed two deployments to the Persian Gulf.