Thank you to the men and women of our armed services and their families, today and every day, for their service and sacrifice.
Service and Respect (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
"We've got the construction paper, Mommy!" DJ called from the dining room table.
"Okay, great," Catherine said, entering the room with glue sticks and scissors. "Then I think we're ready for our Veterans Day project."
"I think Grandpa and Aunt Carrie and Uncle John are really going to like these wreaths," DJ said. "And it'll be a surprise, too. We didn't say anything to Grandpa when we were helping deliver thank you letters to the veterans."
"T'ank you fo' you' sew-vice," Angie said seriously, repeating the words they'd said when delivering handwritten or drawn letters to veterans at the VA with Joseph.
Steve smiled as he joined them, having stepped outside to take a call. "That's right," he said, bending to kiss her head. "Now what have we got here?"
"Wed, white, blue," Angie said, pointing to each of the piles of construction paper on the table in front of her and DJ.
"Good job, honey," Catherine said. "What are we going to make with the red, white, and blue paper?"
"Flags!" Angie said, raising a hand triumphantly in the air.
Catherine chuckled. "What kind of flags?"
DJ stayed quiet, letting his sister think.
" 'merican flags!" Angie said finally, beaming.
"American flags," Steve repeated, taking his seat.
"We're going to make them shaped like hearts and put them in a circle to make a wreath," DJ told him. "Then we're going to take one to Grandpa and one to Aunt Carrie and Uncle John."
Angie nodded her agreement.
"And we're going to put some of my hearts and some of Angie's hearts on both so they're from both of us," DJ finished.
"That sounds like a great idea," Steve said. "They're going to love getting those."
"You help me, Daddy?" Angie asked.
"Of course I will," he said, picking up a pencil. "My hearts might be a little rusty, though."
"Mommy made one for each of us that we can trace!" DJ said.
Steve grinned across the table. "Of course she did." He passed the pencil to Angie and held the heart template on a piece of white construction paper so she could try to trace around it while DJ did the same seated next to Catherine.
"Why don't you tell Daddy what you were telling me and Angie in the car on the way home from school?" Catherine suggested as DJ began cutting out his first heart.
"We talked all about Veterans Day at school," DJ said. "First, Ms. Lane told us how it's on November 11th because that was when the … the …" He bit his lip and looked at Catherine for help.
"Armistice," she supplied.
"Armistice," he repeated, nodding. "That's when the armistice in World War I happened. And that was more than a hundred years ago! But now Veterans Day is for all the people who served in the military. And it's a very special day to say thank you to them, but we should thank them all the time because they are brave and helped our country." He beamed excitedly. "And then we got to raise our hands if we knew any veterans and I raised my hand because I know you and Mommy and Grandpa and Aunt Carrie and Uncle John and the veterans I see when I go with Grandpa too. And you know what? Everybody in my class raised their hands!"
"Yay!" Angie said, clapping as she got caught up in his enthusiasm.
"That's really great," Steve said genuinely. "Is that why you got the idea to make these wreaths for the veterans in our family?"
DJ looked suddenly worried at the question and Angie put her finger to her lips. "Shhhh, see-cwet," she said and turned her attention back to the heart Steve had cut out for her after a gentle tug o' war with the scissors. "Wha' next, DJ?" she asked, holding up the heart.
Steve and Catherine exchanged a look. "Are we going to get to know this secret?" he asked, trying to suppress a smile.
"Later," DJ said quickly. "Promise." He addressed his sister. "Now we put on the red stripes and the blue part with the stars."
She nodded. "An' make da flags."
"We have to make a lot of them for the wreaths," he reminded her, his eyes darting quickly to his parents who had not been distracted but were content to let the siblings have their secret for now.
"Huwwy, Daddy," Angie said, pointing at him. "DJ say we need a lot of dem. For da w'eafs."
He flashed a quick grin at Catherine. "Aye, aye."
An hour later, the family pulled up outside Carrie and John's house where the couple was waiting on the lanai to greet them.
"Ann Cawwie!" Angie called as Catherine helped her out of her car seat. "Happy Vetewans Day!"
"Aww, thanks, gorgeous," Carrie said as she and John joined them in the driveway.
DJ ran around the truck and stood by his sister. "We made this for you and Uncle John," he said, holding out one of the wreaths. "To say thank you for your service on Veterans Day."
"T'ank you fo' you' sew-vice," Angie intoned.
"Ohh, I love it," Carrie said, accepting the paper plate with the center cut out, American flag hearts glued around the edge. She smiled at the two children standing eagerly in front of her and John. "Especially because you two made it."
"Mommy and Daddy helped," DJ said.
Angie nodded. "Daddy helped me."
Carrie grinned. "Did he, now?" She slid her gaze over to Steve. "I would've paid good money to see you doing arts and crafts, McGarrett."
"I'll have you know I'm very good with a pair of scissors and some construction paper, Stagler," he shot back with his own grin.
Catherine and John shared a smile at the usual banter between their spouses.
John nodded to the wreath in Carrie's hands. "That's going to look great on the door."
"It sure will," Carrie agreed. She grinned. "Even if we're not technically veterans yet."
DJ's eyes widened. "What?"
"Aunt Carrie and Uncle John are still active duty," Steve explained.
"But … you can still have the wreath, right?" DJ asked worriedly. Angie looked between them, picking up her brother's distress.
"Absolutely," Carrie said quickly, her smile warm.
DJ relaxed. "Good, because you protect our country and we want to say thank you."
"We're future veterans," John said with a smile. "And we're very lucky to have such a thoughtful nephew and niece."
" 'Future veterans,' " DJ tried the phrase out.
"Come here, you two," Carrie said, handing John the wreath so she could kneel down and open her arms for a hug. "This is just the best." She grinned up at Catherine and Steve as she hugged DJ and Angie. "Think we might have a couple more future veterans here."
Angie nodded vigorously and DJ straightened proudly, glancing back at his parents.
"If that's what they want," Steve said, smiling softly.
"But for now," Catherine said, "we have another wreath to deliver."
"Gwampa!" Angie called as the foursome entered the Rollins' condo fifteen minutes later. "Whe'we a' you? We have a w'eaf fo' you!"
"A wreath?" Joseph said, entering the foyer with Smokey at his heels.
"Happy Veterans Day!" DJ said. "Thank you for your service."
"He'we dis w'eaf fo' you, Gwampa," Angie said, taking the wreath from Catherine and holding it up to Joseph. "T'ank you fo' you' sew-vice."
"Thank you," he replied. "This is wonderful. You both made this?"
DJ nodded. "Mommy and Daddy helped."
"I'll treasure it always."
DJ glanced back at his parents and then leaned toward his grandfather. "Does Grandma have the secret surprise ready?" he asked quietly.
"See-cwet!" Angie said, raising one hand in the air, palm up, and waving it.
Steve and Catherine exchanged another amused glance.
"She does," Joseph whispered back with a quick wink at his daughter and son-in-law. "Out on the lanai."
"Le's go!" Angie said, grabbing Catherine's hand and tugging her. "I's fo' Vetewans Day!"
"A Veterans Day secret surprise?" Steve said. "This we've gotta see."
They went out onto the lanai where Elizabeth and Ang were waiting. After greetings all around, DJ looked at his grandmother hopefully. "Are they ready?"
Elizabeth smiled. "Right here," she handed DJ and Angie two flat boxes which they promptly turned to present to their parents.
"Flags!" Angie burst out before they even opened the lids. "Flags wif ou' han's!" She waved both her hands at them.
Catherine chuckled. "You've been holding that in a while, haven't you, baby girl?" She opened the lid of her box and gasped. "Ohhh, look at that."
Steve smiled as he opened his box and saw the same thing. Two familiar handprints painted as American flags were framed, the words "Thank you for your service" in DJ's handwriting beneath them.
"Grandma painted our hands with red white and blue and we put our handprints on the paper," DJ explained in an excited rush.
"DJ w'ite dis!" Angie said, pointing to the words.
"I used my best handwriting," DJ said seriously.
"It's wonderful, honey," Catherine said, kneeling down to hug them both. "I love them."
Steve joined them. "These are very special."
DJ looked at Angie. "Ready?" he asked.
She nodded and they both took a deep breath.
"Thank you for your service, Mommy and Daddy!"
"T'ank you fo' you' sew-vice, Mommy and Daddy!" they said simultaneously.
"Aww," Catherine said, hugging them again. Steve leaned into the family hug.
"That's so beautiful," Ang said, wiping a tear from her eye as she looked on.
"It is," Joseph agreed, wrapping an arm around Elizabeth. "I'm so proud of the service and sacrifice of this family, and I'm just as proud of the way we've instilled respect for that service in each successive generation."
"I'll second that," Elizabeth said.
Steve smiled and Catherine squeezed his hand. "I think it's unanimous."
Thank you again to the men and women have served and sacrificed so much for our country.