A Letter from Sargent Nacey (Our Dad) read by Teag Nacey and Presley Nacey

Being a vet means that sometimes I do things I don’t really want to do, so that other people don’t have to do them- like being away from home for a really long time, not being able to watch my kids play soccer or volleyball, no Daddy/Daughter dates, not sleeping in my own bed, or even a bed at all.

I do these things because someone has to, but not everyone can. Because of veterans we still have a free country. Being an American gives us a lot of freedoms, like going to school, having a home, and even deciding what we want to be when we grow up. We sometimes take these freedoms for granted because we have had them our whole life. Another part of being a vet for me is understanding the price some people pay for freedom. Many people have lost their lives protecting this freedom.

Right now I am in the most unstable region in the world: DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), South Sudan, and CAR (Central African Republic). Here most people live in mud and grass huts, and they always worry about bad people taking them away from their homes. I like being here because we have an opportunity to make this world a little safer, and we try to take care of the people who can’t take care of themselves.

Just because I’m deployed, doesn’t mean I can’t have fun sometimes. Four days ago I spent almost a week in Garamba African Parks to help them with a poaching problem. While I was there, I slept in a hammock and outside my hammock, within two feet, I had hippos eating every night. I could hear them walking, breathing, and even chewing. It was pretty cool having wild hippos that close every night. I also get to blow stuff up, shoot guns, and sometimes we even get to watch part of a football game. Being deployed, I get to see new places, faces, and cultures.

All this is cool stuff, but I really miss my kids. Thank you for allowing me to write to your school and explain what it means to be a vet. Please remember it’s not just the vets we celebrate this time of year, but we celebrate the kids whose Dads and Moms are overseas fighting to make the world a safer place. So give Presley and Teag a hug for me today and thank them for their sacrifice because their Dad has been gone a long time.

I hope everyone has a great Veterans Day, and make sure to find a vet and tell him thanks. Study hard in school and take advantage of all the opportunities you have and will have. America is the best place to live in the whole wide world. Happy Veteran’s Day.