The Fireworks In A Veteran’s Mind

We were hypnotized by millions of colors drizzling down into the lake’s reflection. Our daughter said it looked like a box of Crayola crayons shot out of a cannon into the sky. The crowd applauded the Veterans Day extravagant fireworks display paired with a musical salute to our nation’s veterans as the town lit up around us.

We hurried with our two children to the best spot near the lake. We were lying on our backs on a thick plaid blanket I had brought to keep us dry and comfortable. Our children lay between us, gazing at the canvas of colors unfolding in the night sky.

Sometimes, just like their dad, the noise frightened them, but the vivid display of fireworks always got their attention.

However, my husband had to keep his eyes on the colors exploding in the dark above us for another reason. If he only heard the popping sound without seeing the finished results, it reminded him of his Vietnam tour and the pain and despair he and his comrades felt.

When we discussed taking the kids to the night celebration, I told him we could stay home and watch the fireworks on television, but he insisted that he could handle it as long as he could see the display when the explosion sounded.

The first fireworks display happened on July 4th during the Revolutionary War as a “morale booster.” The celebrations included cannons firing and guns, adding to the festivities’ explosive nature.

We may enjoy fireworks, but in the mind of the veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the unexpected blasts can trigger their memories of combat and induce panic attacks.

Veterans Day annually falls on November 11th. This day is the anniversary of the armistice’s signing, which ended World War I hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany in 1918.

However, we pay tribute to all our men and women who still serve in the military to protect our great country and allow us to enjoy the freedoms and lifestyles we often take for granted.

When I was in Washington, D.C., I saw men stand alone in front of The Wall and other war monuments during the Memorial Day weekend and weep unashamedly. Sometimes other veterans came and stood by them. Their stories are different, but their painful memories are very similar. They fought with their very lives for their country and saw their friends die.

We may not understand veterans who become emotional as tears roll down their cheeks when they stand and salute as they hear the “Star-Spangled Banner” or see a flag raised, or their disappointment when someone refuses to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Our veterans were once young soldiers sent to a foreign land without friends and family. They fought in the dark, in the rain, with a gun, knowing they would have to shoot or be shot by another soldier ( who was on the other side). The only person who could understand their fears and pain would be another soldier.

How did they do it? How did they keep going forward? Maybe it was the American Flag that was on display in their hearts as they pressed forward while bombs were exploding around them or the sheer gratitude they felt when they completed the next step and their lives were still intact.

However, much or little soldiers gave during their service for our country; changed who they were. My husband said fireworks were so much fun for him and his friends when he was young. “Now, if I don’t focus on where they are coming from, he said, they take me back to a different time, a different place.”

God bless our soldiers serving our country today, and God bless the ones who are still fighting the battles in their minds.