“My dear, just make it home, and then we will take care of you…” A mother speaks to her young daughter serving overseas in the military during the war. A simple phrase that offered so much comfort according to this woman.

We, as a country, have failed in the past. With stories of soldiers being spit on and having rocks thrown at them. These stories come up from time to time and remind me that I must be better than the people of the past. I must carry onward and upward from them. Not to be conceited or start a generational debate, but simply to say each generation should grow and improve upon the foundation laid before them.

And so we offer days like today, a day to epitomize our feelings. Sure, we should be grateful everyday for the sacrifices and services made for us by those in uniform. Politics aside, beliefs aside, I don’t care what party you are a part of or what government person you voted for. A nation needs defenders, a nation needs warriors. A nation needs those willing to serve. And to see men and women who wore a uniform proudly is to see my brother and sister.

I have a brother, I am the younger of us. I have always looked up to him, as I should. He has a shadow, and I have stood in it at times. The one thing I’ve noticed from my perspective, is that when you’re standing in someone’s shadow and you look at them from there, then there is, always, a shining aura around them. It cannot be helped, it will always be there.

It is not inherently bad. We all have people we look up to. Most of us have probably stood in someone else’s shadow, too.

We who have not served, are as little brothers standing in a shadow. We look up, and we see this aura around our soldiers. We see this light that blinds us to their human side, instead, we see the glory bathed uniform and shining medals.

We have all seen enough movies and known enough people who have served to know there is a dark side. There is pain in service, there is sacrifice.

However, today, I stood by a parade of soldiers. I stood by a small battalion of veterans. It was humbling to see such ritual, such honor, such glory even after numerous years of service for some. I stood in the shadow of each one of these veterans today, and I saw that aura of radiance, a halo set upon each head.

I saw something else, too. I saw smiles. I saw laughter. I saw joy. I saw men who felt truly honored by ceremony.

These men and women lived, breathed, slept, and served under ritual and ceremony. There was strict order to every single aspect of their lives. Rules that we may be puzzled by. But that was their entire lives. How fitting that to honor them properly, we should follow strict rules and regulations to ceremony including certain songs, certain flags, and certain rituals of our own.

I am so proud to have men and women serving daily to protect me and my family. I try to be grateful every day. But I am also very proud of my community and nation to set aside a day specifically to honor each of these soldiers. They may be retired, injured, or any other reason that they may not be active duty, but they are still soldiers. They are still warriors. They are still worthy of honor. Because remember this, when you stand in that shadow, they are not only block the light from hitting you. They are blocking the arrows and spears thrown at us all as a nation.