Thank You to Veterans and First Responders

This is the first year in five years, that I’m not a part of Pets in Space, but I’m still the daughter of a veteran and a beneficiary of the sacrifices made by those who run into danger and not away from it. I’m so grateful that this week of Nov 11, we will honor our veterans and our first responders.

I thought it would be a good time to look back on a few of my Veteran’s Day posts from the Pets in Space years:

From 2018:

When my dad came home from the war in Korea, my mom says words spilled out of him, stories she, a young wife of barely 20, had a hard time processing. She says she listened and then it was over. He never spoke about that part of the war again.

When I was young, my dad never talked about the horrors of war to us, though he did share his funny stories. A natural storyteller, he made it sound like they spent the time playing jokes on each other and exploring the countryside and just every now and again getting shot at.

My favorite was the one about how he built himself a camper. He’d go into the dumping grounds, the compounds where they hauled broken-down, exploded vehicle parts, figure out what he needed and then just stroll out with the part or parts. He did this until he had a completely rebuilt truck with a small living space in the back.

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And a post from 2017: 

Why do we care so much about Pets in Space and Hero Dogs?

All of us involved in this project have ties to veterans in a variety of ways. For me, it’s all about my Dad. My dad turned 18 toward the end of WWII and deployed to Alaska after his basic training. He used to talk a lot about his time there, and it was only later that I learned he’d been sent there to prepare to invade Japan. Instead, the war ended, and he came home.

He met my mom, and because he needed work and it was hard to find, he joined the Wyoming National Guard.

And he ended up shipping out to Korea a few months after he and my mom were married. This time he spent two years in such fierce fighting, I think he was surprised he came home.

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Another this post from 2017:

For this Veterans’ Day here in the US and I’d like to share a story with you about a ship and a sailor.

The USS Sigsbee (DD-502), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship in the US Navy named for Rear Admiral Charles D. Sigsbee. It began service in July of 1942 and participated in various battles in the Pacific, including the bombardment of Wake Island.

The part of its service that is personal to me, happened 14 April 1945. The Sigsbee was on radar picket off Okinawa when she was struck aft of her number five gun by a kamikaze suicide plane. Twenty-three sailors were killed in the attack.

One of those sailors was my uncle, my mom’s older brother, Callis Gwynn. He was a radioman, but when one of the gunners were killed he stepped in and, on a report from his shipmates, continued firing at the incoming plane until impact.

He was nineteen years old.

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My dad passed away right before the release of Pets in Space 1. This is a video of his comrades in arms honoring him during the graveyard service:

I know I will never forget those who serve. We owe veterans and first responders our freedom and our lives. While we run away from danger, they run toward it. Please help those who pay the price in our behalf by supporting causes that help our injured heroes.

You can help by donating directly to Hero Dogs or other organizations that support our military, police and veterans. You can also help by sharing this post with a friend or family member who served and please tell them thank you from me!

Perilously and thankfully yours,

Pauline