Veterans Day

*AttaGirl Funnies by Angela Furgal AKA Fairy Funtastic*
If you see this pinned somewhere else...know that you saw it here first!
AttaGirl Funnies aren't always meant to make you laugh...sometimes, they just put a smile on your soul.

When I was pregnant with our first child,

my husband and I went to see the movie

Saving Private Ryan.

For those of you who haven't

seen this movie, RENT IT!

It's a Spielberg movie about how

one family lost 3 of their sons

in World War II.  Once

the military realized the family's

loss, they sent a group of men

looking for the 4th son,

also a soldier fighting the war.

In the process, several men

lost their lives in an effort

to bring home the sole surviving son.

For those of you that have seen it,

do you remember the opening scene?

The first 27 minutes to be exact.
Not 5 minutes.
Not 2 minutes.
27 minutes.

Oh...my...goodness.

This movie didn't hold back.

It was graphic.

It was real.

It was war.

I leaned over and told Bobby,

"If this baby is a boy,

he's not allowed to join the Army."

A few months later I did have a boy.

I'll be honest with you.

I hope Ben never joins the military

(for selfish reasons of course).

Three years later we had a baby girl.

I hope Abby never joins the military

(for selfish reasons of course).

Having said that,

if either of them ever choose to join

the military, I would be proud

(for their selfless reasons).

I would be terrified.

I would be worried sick.

I would grow really thick

callouses on my knees praying for them.

But I would be proud.

Home Of The Free BECAUSE Of The BRAVE Poster 

Click Above To Get Veterans Day Poster

My grandfather fought in World War II,
and when the movie came out we invited him
to go with us to see it.
  
He refused.

I found out that he had a standing refusal
to see any movie about war. 

When I was growing up, 
he never talked about the War...

...ever...

...not until he met my husband, 
who is also a veteran.

  
Oh my goodness!
Hello King Common Sense.
Nice to meet you sir.
They're both Army Strong,
and they both don't talk to 
non-vets about certain things.....
period.  There was a common core of 
values between them both.  The way they
talked, walked and carried themselves.

The way that they look at the world.

FREEBIE In Honor of Veterans Day
Veterans: Graphic Organizers

Although Veterans Day is about

remembering those who have served,

I think a lot of us forget.

We forget that the older man at the

grocery store who's holding

up the line, wearing his WW II hat,

was once young, handsome, and strong.

He sacrificed his life during his

young and vibrant 20's so that

we could enjoy the freedom we

often take for granted.

I think we forget that the older woman

in front of us in traffic who's hugging

the speed limit, once held

the hand of countless soldiers

as they took their last breath.

She did that during her 20's when

most of her friends were getting

married and starting families.

We don't forget because

we are cold hearted or ungrateful.

We often forget because

most of those soldiers don't look

like the young and healthy actors

from Saving Private Ryan.

One of the coolest scenes in

Saving Private Ryan

comes at the very end.

Private Ryan's Character,
played by Matt Damon,

goes to the cemetery to visit the

grave of the captain
that led the mission to find him.

Tom Hanks' played
the captain that led 

the mission to find Private Ryan.

As Hanks' character lay dying on the

battlefield, he told Ryan

"earn this."

In that moment, 

the young man was given

his life's mission.
Live a life that is worthy

of the sacrifice of so many.

This scene is cool

because Spielberg takes

the young, strong, handsome

face of Matt Damon

and through the magic 

of cinema he 'ages' quickly

before our eyes into the old

man that he is for this scene.

He begins to weep and say

that he did his best

to live a life that "earned it."

Through this scene,

and the magic of the movies,

we are reminded

that these "old men"

once were the strong

soldiers that sacrificed

much to give us the life we all enjoy.

We buried my grandfather 

who was a Chief Warrant Officer

with full military honors at 

Arlington National Cemetery.
I'm sorry.

We brought our children with us,

where they could see the final resting place

of their Great Grandfather...

lying with thousands of others....

reminding us that we are only the land of the free

because of the brave. Where they could see their father

a retired LTC, who served over 20 years with

the US Army Special Forces, proudly

represent our legacy of service to our country

and where and what the cost of 

freedom truly represent.
Just got goosebumps.
What a bittersweet moment for your family.

Arlington is a memory I will never forget.

Nor should you.

My grandmother gave me our 

family geneology a few years ago

that runs down one line 

of our family history.

Through that line, 

I have ancestors who have fought 

in both the Civil War

and the Revolutionary War.

Veterans are the backbone of our country.

Home Of The Free BECAUSE Of The BRAVE Poster 

Thankfully, most of our students

don't have a personal connection to war.

When we tell them we have Monday

off for Veteran's Day, 

they have no clue just what an

 important day it really is for our country.

With that in mind,
we do something special

in our classroom.

We make a class graph of all

of the Veterans in our families.

The kids place flags on the graph 
for every relative that served in the 

Air Force, Army,

Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard,

and the Navy.

The finished product is a humbling sight.

It also gives the kids ownership

of this important national holiday.

I LOVE your graph!
What a great way 
to help your students make a connection!

If you want to do the graph with your class,

click here to go to TPT to check it out.

I hope all of you enjoy your day off.

...and say thanks to the Veterans in your family.
Absolutely! 

We HEART our Veterans Poster

FREEBIE Poster In Honor Of Veterans Day!