What 2nd Graders Wanted to Know About Veterans Day

Today as part of a program put on by Sandy Hook Elementary School I met with a group of 2nd graders. It began with the teacher handing me a folder full of questions the kids had written down the day before. Here are some of their questions:

What war did I serve in, one or two?
What is my favorite gun? Mine is a MK 47 (There's no such thing. He meant an AK 47& it's not an American made weapon anyway)
What ship was I on?
What year did I start the war?
What's it like to be an underwater bomb specialist?
Is your war trunk empty like my grandpa's?
Was I scared?
How do I feel about war?
What was my job?
Did I like the war?
Who was my boss?
Did I get to throw any bombs?
Do I still live in the war?
How many badges do I have?

Many of these questions were asked by several children. I spent most of my time explaining that most veterans didn't actually serve in a combat unit. I talked about the many, many different jobs people did in the armed forces. It's my hope that those kids left with a better understanding of what it was like to serve in the military rather than what they were led to believe from movies and television.