The Purpose Behind the Everyday Patriot Project
Dear Readers,
The Everyday Patriot project began nearly twelve years ago, during my oldest son’s first deployment. As the daughter of a Vietnam War combat veteran in the U.S. Army, the wife of a U.S. Navy veteran, and the mother of two U.S. Army infantry veterans, I have always been aware of the human cost of military service.
But in 2012, when my oldest son deployed to Afghanistan, that cost became deeply personal. A widely publicized blue-on-green attack occurred at the post where he was stationed. Like every other military parent, I waited on pins and needles, praying it wasn’t my child. Two days later, the battalion called to tell me my son was safe. Relief came quickly, but so did grief. Staff Sergeant Jordan Bear and Specialist Payton Jones were killed in that attack. The weight of their loss was overwhelming, and my heart still aches for their families.
What troubled me most was how little attention was given to who they were. In the news, they were too often reduced to faceless “service members” or “troops.” I began to resent not only how casually our nation deploys its military, but also how casually the media speaks of their sacrifices.
That is why I started Everyday Patriot: to honor the humanity of our service members, to share a glimpse of their lives beyond uniforms and medals, and to ensure they are remembered as more than names carved into headstones. Many excellent sites, such as cmohs.org and valor.militarytimes.com, do an outstanding job preserving medal citations. My work draws instead from public records and local newspapers, weaving together personal details that remind us these heroes were sons, daughters, friends, and neighbors.
I do not dwell on battle descriptions or graphic accounts of combat deaths. As a mother of two infantrymen who have been under fire, I cannot bring myself to relive those moments in detail. I have cried for every service member I’ve written about, no matter how long ago they served. Each story breaks my heart, but I keep writing because I believe their memory deserves more than silence.
Everyday Patriot is a labor of love and a project I know I will never truly finish. But it is worth every word, because our troops are not just “service members.” They are our people. They are us.
We must never forget that.
With love and unwavering support for our troops,
****** *********************************
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.
In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com
Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com
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