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Take A Moment, Thank A Veteran

Welcome to Blog Tour de Troops, and thanks for joining us on this blog hop! You should have joined me from Shannon Muir’s Blog. This is the last tour stop today — it will resume tomorrow at Rachel Thompson’s blog.

Ray Vincent: You don’t support the war?
Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs: I support the men fighting it.
— NCIS 5.10 Corporal Punishment

When I was in middle school, we sent troops into the first Gulf War. My dad was still in the Massachusetts National Guard at the time, and I can remember worrying that he would be sent over to fight. He reassured me that the war wouldn’t last long enough. He was right.

Fast-forward 20 years, and there’s a whole group of teenagers who have a different experience. After 10 years at war, National Guard and Reserve soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines all over the country have been deployed and re-deployed and re-deployed. Teachers, lawyers, mechanics, farmers, police officers… One town in my area saw its only full-time police officer called up and sent overseas. Back home, families and communities have stretched to cover the gaps left behind. For many, those gaps were temporary. For others, they became permanent.

Ten years ago, on Veterans Day, thousands of our troops from all branches were serving overseas, many fighting back just two months after the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Young men and women enlisted, some right out of high school and others who decided to change paths, to step into the line of fire because they felt called to do so. They knew some of them would not return, and many did not, including one of my high school classmates. Countless of those who did return, as well as those who still serve, were changed forever by what they saw. Some have left the service, by choice or by circumstance. Some have stayed, either on active duty or as reservists.

Two months ago, we paused to remember those lost on 9/11. We marked the changes in our lives during the past decade. This Veterans Day, we can take a moment as well to pause and remember the veterans who have served, from World War II through the present, and the soldiers, sailors and Marines still serving around the globe. Whether we support this war or we don’t, whether we supported past wars or opposed them, on this Veterans Day weekend, we come together to thank the men and women who fought for us in the past and who fight for us today.

Thanks to Gubbie, David Jr., Grampy, Dad, Tom, Uncle Bill, Michael, Adam and Clark for your service in the Army, Navy, National Guard, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines. 

In memory of Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Rob Pirelli, Company A, 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and FHS Class of 1996. June 16, 1978-Aug. 15, 2007

Leave a Comment, Get A Book

Did you know that eBooks are the No. 1 care package item requested by U.S. troops? Leave a comment on this post and you’ll receive a free Thrown Out ebook – AND for every comment, I’ll give a free eBook to a servicemember on active duty.

During Memorial Day weekend, Tour de Troops authors gave 10,000 books to U.S. troops. This Veterans Day, with your help – just by leaving a comment — we can give even more!

Come Back Tomorrow For More Fun

Please check back tomorrow at Rachel Thompson’s blog to continue touring.

The Tour de Troops blog hop started Friday, Veterans Day, and lasts through Monday, Nov. 14. Between now and then, you have a chance to collect 50 — yes 50 – FREE ebooks. If you lose your way, stop by the IBC blog, where you’ll find a list with URLs of all 50 blogs.

Thank You!!!

Please remember to leave a comment – and your email address — so I can send a coupon for your free copy of Thrown Out: Stories from Exeter. If you have a specific soldier, sailor or Marine you want to designate the second copy for, please leave his or her name (with your email address) in the comment box. Also, thanks to sponsor Fresh Pot of Tea, who provided a review of Thrown Out. And if you are on active duty, reserve or a veteran, thank you for all that you’ve done.

137 thoughts on “Take A Moment, Thank A Veteran”

  1. The troops really deserve this! And I am honored to leave comment so a soldier can receive a book of their own to read!

    ennapenglin(AT)sbcglobal.net

  4. hi Jennie! war certainly changes and affects a lot of lives and i salute all these brave men and women who chose to serve one’s country to help make our world a better and safer place to live in.

    thank you for your contribution to the troops and for being a part of this tour.

    aobibliophile(at)gmail(dot)com

  12. Thank you for taking part in this tour and most of all thanks to all the members in our troops.

    andreagrendahl AT gmail DOT com

  15. As you know, I already have your book. Please donate my copy to a soldier, Jennie!

    My family has a lot of military service, and this blog tour is very close to my heart. My maternal grandfather and his two brothers served during World War II. He served in the Pacific, while his brothers were both in the European campaign.

    My father served with the Navy in Vietnam in the early stages of the war. As a result of his massive exposure to Agent Orange, he died at age 44. From all accounts, the man who went off to the war barely resembled the man who came back. He was an amazing man and father–and my hero–but I’ll always wonder what if he hadn’t been so shattered by his time in Vietnam.

    My stepfather was in Vietnam as well, a Naval Corpsman assigned to the Marines. He has stories good and horrifying he’ll gladly tell you, whereas my father only opened up (slightly–his missions were classified at the time of his death) when he was diagnosed terminal.

    My stepdad was an Army reservist in MA at the time of the Gulf War and there was a high level of concern that he might be activated. He wasn’t, which ended up being a good thing, as my mother was fighting breast cancer, but others in his unit went, and I think he always mildly regretted not going. One of his friends…at least one, has been in Afghanistan and Iraq this time around as well. The guys in stepdad’s former unit–399th combat support hospital–have volunteered to go over, both in the Gulf War and this time around. Many are in their fifties, or even older. Many of them have been to Vietnam. Many of them have been reservists all their post active duty adult lives. And yet they still eagerly offered their service to country.

    These guys are my heroes.

    Thanks so much for participating in this, Jennie!!

    • Thanks, BJ! I definitely will, and thank your family for their service for me, please! My dad was 26th Yankee Infantry, which was disbanded either shortly before the war or not long after it as the state downsized the Guard.

  16. As a 24 year Vetran it is my honor to serve and I would be proud to do it all agian. Thank you for your support every little bit goes a long way. ryan.mills68(at)gmail(dot)com

  17. Our soldiers and our veterans deserve way more than we give them. I am grateful that you would donate an e-book to the servicemen but please donate the copy that I would get to a serviceman as well.

    Brook

  22. Just stopping by to say Hi! from alchemyofscrawl. Wishing you a great tour! Please donate my copy to a soldier. 🙂

  25. Thank you for summing up exactly how we as those left behind feel about deployments. My loving husband is part of the Army National Guard, he was given his deployment orders this past September. He has since deployed, for what is his second deployment. This is the first deployment that I have had to go through. It’s certainly not easy being the one left behind.

    I am a very proud wife though. Our troops have so many things that face them while deployed. having just a small piece of home around helps them nore than most people realize. Books are a great way for our troops to be able to let their minds drift from the realities that they live with while overseas.

    betty.vickery.johnson@gmail.com

    My loving soldier Jon:

    provert247 AT gmail DOT com

  27. What a great idea this tour is! I have purchased your book, so please send my copy to another soldier. My son has volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan sometime next year and I know that what goes around comes around. Others will be there to bless his life as you have blessed so many! Thanks, friend!

  29. Thank you for participating in this tour. My family’s military history (so they tell me), dates back to the Revolutionary War. My grandfather served in the Navy in World War II and then Korea. My uncle was in the Navy during Vietnam, and I lost a cousin (who was in the Army) in Vietnam during a ground fire battle. I’ve had various uncles and cousins in the Marine Corps and Air Force. My cousin is still active Air Force, thankfully she is home in the states. So this “tour” means quite a deal to me.

    m_edwards_476@msn.com

  32. I’m so sorry you lost your friend, we’ve been so lucky, while we’ve had people injured in different wars we’ve never lost anyone. When my son-in-law comes back we’ll be done with war for at least a few months. Hopefully, we’ll be done for a long time. My thoughts are with you and your friend’s family.

    rivawriter(at)yahoo(dot)com

  35. Thank you so much for supporting the troups. I am so thankful for all the men and women who serve and give their lives. God bless them all.
    Sue B
    katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com

  38. Thanks for the post… So true that we need to keep separate political opinions and troop support. Also critical is supporting those left behind and those who return; families of those deployed have more obstacles than many of us can imagine, and those returning often face entirely new battles. Many, many thanks to all who serve. I hope we do enough for you.

  43. Thank you for supporting our troops. I’ve sent quite a few books overseas for troops myself what a great way to show support
    Suefitz(at)yahoo(dot)com

  46. Thank you for your post.
    Yesterday I watched our local Veterans Day parade. It was small but still moving. It started with a couple dozen men who served. Followed by group after group of young people we pray will never have to be called Veterans. God Bless them all.

  53. I am delighted to comment so that a deserving military person can receive the gift of a book. If I could, I’d post a hundred times at each blog so that they would receive lots of books.

    nancyg5997@gmail.com

  55. joannie sparks on November 12, 2011 at 5:33 pm said:
    Your comment is awaiting moderation.

    I am grateful for being alive since have been disabled for almost 2- years to be able to spend time with my grandchild and great grandchildren. Here is my little story

    hi i am a War orphan from the Vietnam Era and i want to thank you so much for the support everyone is giving the soliders. Because when i was growing up we did not recieve any support and i pray that does never ever happen again because it was the hardest time for my mom left in a new city with no family and a house full of kids. I want you to know She Loved my Father so much she never Re-married or even dated.. He is one of the first sent over in 1962 never heard from again his whole group. So to this day know one but the govenment really know what happend All i want is to know what happened to all those men with my father and for every man and women to come back home safe.. Thanks Joannie jscddmj [at] aol [dot] com

  59. Jennie,

    The freedom we enjoy, and often take for granted, is here for us today due to the courageous service men and women who represent, serve, and protect. Their contribution is priceless. Blessings to these troops for the most precious gift they give us, and thank you for sharing a wonderful article. The ebook contribution effort is such a wonderful idea! I love it.

    kathrynb.johnson@yahoo.com

  61. Jennie, I enjoyed my visit to your site and your very thoughtful post regarding Veteran’s Day. I am glad your father did not have to go to war and I a likewise glad that he served our country. I hope he is being thanked in person this weekend and you can convey to him, most certainly, my thanks. Thank you for participating this blog tour and the support of our veterans and soldiers.

    Best wishes,

    D. M. Kenyon
    author at lotus blossom book dot com

  65. Thank you so much for supporting our troops. My nephew spent a year in Afghanistan and we appreciated the support he had from everyone, including family, when he was over there!

    Sincerely,
    Doyle MacBrayne

  67. I love that you are supporting our troops. My nephew spent a year in Afghanistan and I am so thankful that you are giving them something to do!

    Sincerely,
    doylemacbrayne at gmail dot com

  68. Thank you for supporting our troops this way (and I have to say that I’m going to enjoy it too). My father, husband and brother-in-law have all served or are currently serving and anything that supports our troops is near and dear to my heart.
    Thanks again,
    Andrea
    a_ariail(at)yahoo(dot)com

  73. Thank you for participating in this tour as it is a very good cause and I’m happy to see so many authors coming together to do something special for our troops. shadow31071 (at) suddenlink (dot) net

  77. Thanks for being part of the Blog Tour de Troops. I appreciate you giving free ebooks to our troops. Semper Fie!

    Cheers,

    Ardee-ann

    sagemoon_cottage at yahoo dot com

  79. Really liked the NCIS quote — it’s a nice touch that sums up how a lot of people over the years have felt about various conflicts that the US has gotten involved in (and I imagine the same is true for other nations as well). I can empathize a bit–I’m a little younger than you, but I can remember yellow ribbons around our ash tree for a family friend who was serving in Kuwait during Desert Storm/Shield and I can certainly remember the horror I felt when I realized an entire generation was going to be sacrificed again in 2001.

    Another author on the tour stopping by to lend support and stand up and be counted for a soldier to snag an e-book.

    ~ Erin M. Klitzke
    athensmcleod@hotmail.com

  80. Your book looks like a fantastic read.
    Thank you for generosity and doing this for our troops!
    tweezle(at)gmail(dot)com

  82. This is such a wonderful way to pay tribute to those who give so much to protect us and to preserve our freedom to do things like this – spend an evening meeting new authors and getting new books. What a luxury!
    I’m new to your writing and look forward to reading this book.
    MJB
    msmjb65 AT gmail DOT com

  83. This is such a wonderful event, thank you so much for participating and honoring our veterans on their day and giving to our troops the joy of a good book. I am also thankful for your providing us readers a copy of your lovely book as well. You are appreciated.

    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

  84. Hello! Thanks for the free read – I’m excited to read your book. Also, thanks for supporting our troops!!

    allyreads81 at gmail dot com

  87. Wonderful blog tour for a worthy cause. I enjoyed the blog tour and reading about the various authors’ take. Thank you for your generousity.

    tamsyn5 at yahoo dot com

  95. Loved the NCIS quote. I’m always surprised by the people who can’t understand that you can disagree with the war & yet still support the people who are fighting it. Thanks for being a part of such an awesome gift to our troops.

    drainbamaged.gyzmo at gmail.com

  97. My father was born on veterens day and I lost him 13 years ago so this day has always held twice the meaning for me. I want to thank the troops for their dedication including my cousin Danny and dear friend Yves and also tell my father I love him and miss him dearly. 2vr.iver@gmail.com

  99. What a great cause – thanks for supporting our troops!

    I look forward to reading your book!

    Sandi(at)Beckman(dot)me

  104. I’m so glad there’s another Tour de Troops!! Can’t wait to see if there’s more comments than Memorial Day! What a great way to give our troops a little escape in a book while they are away from home and at war. Thanks IndieBookCollective!! Thanks for the free book – can’t wait to read your story!

    I would like the troop book to go to my cousin Zachary Neer serving in the United States Army in Afghanistan.

    Melissa
    missyebookmail (AT) mediacombb (DOT) net

  105. I’m an author from Bridgewater, MA and military spouse (married twice to guys in the Air Force). We currently live at RAF Mildenhall in England.

    My first husband was deployed almost every year because of his job, as well as doing 2 remote tours to Korea. My second has done his share of remotes and TDYs too, recently in support of the NATO efforts in Libya. We’re expecting a deployment next year.

    Instead of giving me a free ebook, I’d love to see 2 more donated to the troops!

    • Absolutely, Wendy! Small world – my dad used to teach at B-R before he retired, and one of my cousins is AF stationed in England right now. Thanks to you and both your husbands for your service – it’s much appreciated!

      • Your dad is Mr. Coughlin? WOW! I was never in any of his classes (and I doubt he would remember a “Wendy Wood”), but I do remember him.

        My husband is connected to Lakenheath, though we live right outside Mildenhall. How funny that your cousin is here as well!

        It is a *very* small world, indeed. ^.^

        Thank you for what you are doing for our service members.

  106. Thanks to those who serve, their families – and to everyone participating in this tour. What a wonderful way to support the troops!

    beritlemons AT gmail DOT com

  107. Thank you for doing this. It’s awesome that all these authors have gotten together to support the troops. Really cool thing to do
    diamondskye20 at yahoo dot com

  111. I had just met my future husband in 1990 when the Gulf war started. He was just out of the Marines and on inactive duty. I was worried. Luckily it was short and he wasn’t called up. We just passed our 19th anniversary and had 3 kids. Thanks for the memories
    Thanks for supporting our troops this way. I am sure a soldier would love a good book to escape to while they are away from their families protecting out freedom.
    Thanks again
    Linda Meza

    linmeza@hotmail.com

  112. Since I have a copy, can you donate mine to a soldier as well? Thank you for doing this. I have the utmost admiration for those have accepted the call to protect our lives, our liberty, our freedom, and the rights of others to have them as well.

    • Sure thing, Aleta! I’m honored to be able to participate in this and in Operation E-Book Drop. It’s such a small contribution on my part, and I’m glad it’s welcomed by the troops.

  113. Although I am not from the USA, I appreciate the sacrifices made by those that chose to serve and their families who must continue while hoping and praying for their safe return. I thank them and solute them.

    Please send both copies of your book to the troops. I would prefer to buy your book.

    • Thanks, Terri! It’s an honor to work with you as well – you make me see what’s possible! Since you already have Thrown Out, do you want to send your copy to the troops?

  116. thanks for participating in the Tour de Troops. As an army veteran of multiple deployments, I can assure you that reading provides sanity and a chance to explore worlds outside the dust/rain/dirt of the present un-fun. With the advent of eBook readers it has become even easier to read, try new authors and to feel less cut off from the world.
    sincerely – Holly (prosekniticATyahooDOTde)

  117. Hi,

    Thanks for being part of the tour.

    To all of the women & men of the military, thank you for everything you do, the sacrifices you make, and for keeping our country safe! To the families of those in the military, thank you for the sacrifices you make each and every day.

    Pinky
    pinkmaiden821(at)gmail(dot)com

  119. Thank you so much for supporting our troops and for participating in this blog tour.

    thenarcissuslibrary at gmail dot com

  120. Thank you to all the troops in and out of service. you’ll never know how much you mean to us.
    jessangil at gmail dot com
    -Jessica B

  121. My dad was a WWII vet and landed at Omaha Beach on D-day. He didn’t live quite long enough to go on one of the Honor Tours and he didn’t talk about the war but he looked very dashing in the pictures. : )

    I only found out about this blog tour today so if I’m too late to get your book, that’s fine otherwise thanks for the book and thanks for supporting our troops
    OmahaUrbanec AT aol Dot com

  123. I’m pleased to be able to get free books for our troops again (I also did this Memorial Day weekend). My daughter had surgery, so I only found out today & am trying to get to all the blogs. Thanks for supporting our troops & making your book available to them & us free.

    ackleybj {at} verizon {dot} net

  125. Aw, this was a very nice post. In idea I want to put in writing like this additionally – taking time and precise effort to make a very good article… however what can I say… I procrastinate alot and on no account appear to get one thing done.

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