Live Q&As

I was an Air Force brat at the tail end of Vietnam so I know what you're saying. Things sure have changed! When my dad was gone, he was gone. Now, most of us can reach out via email or even phone from time to time.

The awareness factor is something that bothers me as well. I have plenty of civilian friends and family who really do understand what 10 years of war means to military families. But then there are people who have just never been forced to think about it.  I'm hopeful that all of the publicity military families, veterans, and service members have gotten will help raise awareness. It's not that we want them all to put on uniforms (although that might be nice!)  We just don't want to feel like we're going through this alone while the rest of the world carries on.

Thank you for your kind words!

That's a really good question.  And it's something my husband and I are still struggling with ourselves.  My children are 5 and 6 years old and we're just now trying to explain what happened on 9/11.  Surprisingly though, I think this question is more complicated for adults than it is for children.  My kids seem to readily accept that there are bad people in the world who will do bad things, but that the vast majority of people are good. Right now, that's all they seem to need.

When I bring in God, Allah, or religion, that's when things get complicated. My children simply can't comprehend a god or religion that would want people to be killed.  For now we stick with "bad" rather than "extremist." I'm sure this changes as children get older, so I'm really interested to hear what others have to say on this topic.

I struggle with this too. I think we all do.

My brother deployed when the kids were 2 and 3 and that was the first time we had to deal with it. Like your experience "bad guys" seemed to work just fine. But now at 5 and 6 they have more specific questions. They want to know WHY we're fighting in Afghanistan, but I have to be careful not to tell them more than they can handle and process at such a young age.  Like I mentioned in the earlier question about religious extremism, if I tried to go into that sort of explanation, I think my kids would be more confused than anything.  But I know this may change withing a few years. So just be careful not to give too much to your kids before they can handle it.  You know your kids, so trust your mom instincts too.

I would love to hear from some parents of older children about their discussions of 9/11, war, and religious extremism.

That's a good point - our experiences have been totally different in many ways.  And often I feel as if once everyone adjusted to the new airport security routines and increased security, they just sort of forgot about why they exist. But we're sort of forced to remember on a daily basis.

I'm also glad you mentioned that suicide rates are on the increase. This is Suicide Prevention Week and we should all be aware of the warning signs. RealWarriors.net has some great resources as does the Veteran's Crisis Line.

I am so thrilled to hear that you're volunteering with the USO! I firmly believe that one of the best ways civilians can honor the service of military service members is by serving their communities in any way they can.

I'm also heartened to hear that 9/11 is more real for you now. I know for those of us living in DC and New York on the day or with friends, family, or co-workers who died, it was almost too real. But I honestly hadn't realized until recently that not everyone had the same intense, life-changing experience.

Kudos to you for broadening your experience!