A Love Letter to the Veterans I Love and Respect

It was 1970 – and my husband, Butch Kritsberg (who I wouldn’t meet for another 36 years!) – found himself with status 1A, and the recent beneficiary of a newly drawn draft number that made him a prime candidate to be on the receiving end of Uncle Sam’s “Greetings and Salutations” – and perhaps off to VietNam. After doing some due diligence, including recruiter interviews, he enlisted in the US Air Force – then spent the next 20 years, one month, and 16 days serving OUR country, all over the world and the US.

I choke up as I share this with you. I never met Butch until sixteen years after his Air Force career ended. Yet, I am beyond proud and appreciative of him and his service. So proud!

More Family Veteran Pride

Another favorite veteran was my Dad – Richard Torrey – who lied about his age so he could enlist in 1944 in the Army Air Corps (the precursor to the Army and Air Force which split into two branches in 1947). He found himself serving in Japan toward the end of the war. Oh, the stories I heard as I grew up!

My grandfather (Dad’s father) Reginald Torrey also served during World War II, although differently. He was too young for World War I, and too old for WWII military service, so instead he enlisted in the Red Cross, then served for a number of years in North Africa building and managing USO installations for blood donation and support for soldiers. While his service wasn’t specifically a branch of the military, it was service all the same. So I pay him respect on Veterans Day (well, really every day!), too.

I’m appreciative, too, of the younger veterans in our family. My stepson, Jeff, served 20 years in the Air Force, spending time in Iraq. Our daughter-in-law Heather was an Air Force nurse, and spent time in Qatar. And our daughter-in-law April served 20 years in the Air Force, serving in locations around the world, too.

It’s hard to describe how proud I am of them all.

There are more veterans in my ancestry, traced as far back as both the Civil War and the Revolution. So many veterans who have proudly served us Americans to help us maintain our democracy – and our liberty.

Veterans Day Reminds Us of Our Respect and Appreciation

We Seniors have weathered so many difficulties and challenges to our freedom in our long lives – the Korean War, the VietNam War, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan. We’ve additionally supported other democracies – an important aspect to maintaining our own. We further grew up on stories and reminders of both World War I and II.

So, on this Veterans Day 2025, I have the privilege of sharing my appreciation with those who are still among us, and the blessing of thinking about those I’ve lost.