Silent Heroes

I want to dedicate this writing to all those parents: fathers, mothers, and to the grandparents of those who have served our beloved country, The United States of America. I firmly believe that I know very little of how each and every one of you must feel. I, myself, can only express what I personally feel, because I've lived it. Like what my beloved wife has often said; how can you tell someone with a fractured arm, "I know how you feel" when you've never had one. And that is very true.
I do not consider myself a writer and by no stretch of one's imagination an author. I found it somewhat difficult where to start. So, I will say what I believe motivated me to write.
One of our daughters came for a visit and during our conversation she said, "Dad, we, your children, don't know you. You have to tell us about yourself before it's too late". The words "WE DON'T KNOW YOU" hit me like a ton of bricks. The words "WE DON'T KNOW YOU" pierced my heart. My eyes swelled with tears and I realized that our children "didn't know me".
I had always played the part of an actor and pretended to be what I wasn't. I guess that I had experienced so much disappointments, hurt, suffering and pain in my growing up years that I had sheltered them from knowing their father. The time had arrived for the real dad to stand up.