My heart raced, my hands sweat, and my voice quivered as the first few syllables of my essay escaped my mouth. None of the public speaking rehearsals that I had painstakingly endured could have prepared me for the moment when the curtain rose and all eyes at the annual Mississippi VFW Convention stared seemingly through me. At the age of 14, I had never spoken in front of a crowd of that magnitude. As I glanced across the audience and saw the smiles that covered each of the veterans’ faces, all my apprehension vanished. The attitude of spite I had for writing dissipated as I came to fully understand that my ability to read and write had opened doors for me to learn more about my great grandfather’s life, bring joy to the members of the VFW, …show more content…
Underwood’s announcement to the class, “This Friday each of you must turn in an essay to me explaining why veterans should be important to you as an American.” Sighs of exasperation reverberated in the room. Another essay was to be written, but little did I know this essay would give me access to things I’d never dreamt of. A thought erupted inside my brain like that of a small ember billowing into a wildfire consuming my every thought, and later that afternoon I questioned my grandmother about her father, Great-Granddaddy Charlie, who fought in WWII. As she described his experiences in Germany, I began to have a mounting interest in learning about the lives of veterans. My great grandfather was just one out of millions of men and women who willingly left their families to risk their lives for our magnificent nation. Later that night, I wrote my essay with simplicity. The words flowed effortlessly onto the page; it was easy to write about something I was truly passionate about. On Friday, as I turned my paper in, I had no idea that in two short months I would be reading it in front of hundreds of …show more content…
Fortunately, it has been my privilege to have the opportunity to speak with other veterans at my local Veterans’ Home and become acquainted with them and the stories of their heroic lives. It became evident to me that most of the men and women who live there just want someone to say hello and ask how their day is going. Writing a simple essay sparked a sense of love and appreciation for these men and women that I never would have realized and has opened the door for me to build numerous, deep relationships. Today, I habitually visit my local veterans’ home where I know the majority of the residents by name. The joy that is seen on their faces when I stop and invest a little of my time talking to them does not surpass the amount of delight that fills my heart as I spend time with