Veterans deserve recognition long after Nov. 11

Several CF students have relatives who served in the military. With their relative’s shared stories and wisdom, they have been motivated to join the military themselves to make a difference for our country.

Junior Israel Kodiaga, a cadet, has a great-grandfather who fought in a war decades ago. “My father is a 1st generation Kenyan immigrant. He’s from a small Luo village, on Lake Victoria. In the 1930s and 40s, Kenya wasn’t actually a country. The land Kenya is now was a colony of the British crown called British East Africa. Like many others, my great grandfather was drafted into the King’s African Rifles during the Second World War. He very likely fought in Burma, and was likely killed by Japanese forces. Like many other African soldiers during the war, his life and service wasn’t necessarily recorded, nor was he buried (if he did in fact die in Burma) with a grave marker. But he never returned after the war.”

Although many veterans have passed, there are some who have survived with a certain tale of what they experienced. Sophomore Candice-Michelle Hawthorne has a grandmother who was a nurse. “My grandma … she was in World War 2. She was one of the nurses there, and she helped out. She told me she was part of that and she was glad to help out everyone. I’m pretty sure my aunt became a part of the military because of her, and that inspired me to become a military police.”

Thanks to the help and advice given to us by veterans, many of us are safe in this country and are inspired to do the impossible, even if it takes plenty of effort. So, if you have a family member or know someone who is a current member of the military or previously served, thank them for what they have done.