It’s Veterans Day. This day has usually been marked pretty quietly at my house. Most of our family’s involvement in the military was in the past and those men had passed on, so the bulk of our remembrances have been for Memorial Day.

But now my eldest son is in the Army, and has been through a tour of duty. His best friend is in the Navy. Among the gang who I used to clutter my foyer with huge sneakers every weekend there are two Marines, two more Navy people (both girls), and another guy in the Army. My brother-in-law is a Navy vet. Veterans Day isn’t only a day off school at my house anymore.

I know my son is smiling today, but it’s not because of the holiday. He’s been at Ranger School earning his tab, and he got to call me yesterday to brag that he passed everything his first time through. From what I understand, that’s something to be very proud of. The graduation ceremony’s later this week and then he gets to be home for the next month or so.

The list of games he wants waiting for him when he gets here is long. At school he didn’t even have his PSP so he’s missed a lot. Fallout 3, Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Mirror’s Edge, the new Ratchett and Clank game are just the top of it. I’m fairly certain a few rounds of Halo will be played too – he’s got to put the proper fear of big brothers in my daughter’s newest boyfriend and peel the finish off his Navy buddy’s smackmonkey ways. I’ve gotten the GrenadeMagnet profile with the lavender and pink armor all ready. I’m sure I’ll be wearing it with pride again here soon.

He’s also happy because tomorrow he turns 21. He’s going to be discrete while he’s there, but his friends are already planning a bash worthy of the occaision that I’m being very very careful not to know the details of. I’m still going to be part of the festivities above and beyond the traditional family cake-and-ice-cream and the spagetti dinner he’s requested. He asked me to take him out and show him how to drink Guinness properly. He doesn’t think his either his civilian or Army buddies have the necessary skills in that department.

I’m not sure I want to be grown up enough to have a kid old enough to drink, but there’s a whole of this Mom business I didn’t get asked about when it got set up. 😉

I’ve been thinking a lot about a quote by Rudyard Kipling. “Single men in barracks don’t grow into plaster saints.” I think my son is doing okay, but I’m fairly certain the stack of things I’m only going to find out about years from now when he has an attack of reminiscent pernicious autobiography is tall and illustrious. At least I sort of hope so. I mean, I’m his mom and so I have to officially frown on those sorts of things. But as long as he’s careful and no one’s getting hurt then I’m not going to get on my high horse too much. This is the time of his life when those stories my Grampa used to swap with his old friends when my mom and the rest of the ladies weren’t in earshot get lived. I think that’s important.

So I’ll be thinking about all those big sneakers turned into combat boots. I pray every day they and all their comrades stay safe.

Tags: Misc