Mommy, What is a Veteran?

“Mommy, What is a Veteran?”

by Linda Ellis, © 1998

“Mommy, what is a veteran?”
My child asked in an innocent way.
“And could you please explain to me
why we have a Veteran’s Day?”

My mind searched for the adjectives
that might help me clarify
those people, who for their country,
have looked death in the eye.

I quickly grabbed the dictionary
to see what Webster may have used,
but “one who served in the armed forces,”
were not the words that I would choose.

But, how do you describe a veteran —
heroes you have never met,
those you’ll never know the names of
and yet … never will forget?

How do you describe a veteran?
How do you convey a definition
for those who brought this country’s dreams
to their ultimate fruition?

How do you describe a veteran?
Strangers who fought for you.
Men and women who risked their lives
for people they never knew?

How do you describe a veteran
and the sacrifices they made
so that you and your children’s children
could live free … and unafraid?

How do you describe a veteran
for a child’s sake?
You say “A veteran is a person to whom
we owe every breath we take.”