(THIS POST IS REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR)
Poor was always an honorable word around our beaten down rental shack; as in poor BUT hard working, poor BUT honest. We never really even knew we were poor since there was always food on the table and laughter to be heard at each meal. Mom worked hard, taking care of their children while her husband, our father, was absent from us; taking care of nameless, faceless others mom told us were our “fellow Americans”.
This November 11th those fellow Americans (you and I) will be honoring those many veterans of war near and in far off places. These are the brave our National Anthem should call to mind each time we hear it, brave and ordinary fellow Americans like my dad who answered the call to meet the challenges of war so all us fellow Americans could continue to pursue our personal hopes and dreams.
Returning home, like many soldiers with family concerns, my dad’s thoughts were all about getting on with the business of living his life and providing for his family. We were still poor, but he was determined we would own our very own little piece of the America he had fought so hard to preserve.
You can hardly begin to imagine how delighted we all were the day he and mom drove up the drive of our rented shack with big smiles on both their faces.
“Climb on in” they beckoned us kids, “we’ve got a great surprise to show you!”
I think every one of us, even my big brother, had tears rolling freely down our faces as mom and dad introduced us to our new home. Not a rented shack, not a rental at all, but the most beautiful farm house I ever could have imagined, sitting pretty on its own few acres.
That house and what it meant to our family made such an impact on me that I grew up with a burning desire to see to it that lots of other fellow Americans had the chance to experience what my sisters and brothers and I did, that day our parents brought us for the first time to what would be our very own home at last!
Since 1944 VA loans have helped families like ours, giving them the opportunity to make home ownership an affordable option for those who serve in the U.S. Military. Requiring no down payment, a VA loan also allows both active and non-active duty personnel to qualify for larger loan amounts than they might otherwise with conventional loans.
The benefit package has changed some over the years, experiencing an expansion that increased the benefits in 1978. Then it expanded further in 1992, with an amendment allowing those in the Reserves and the National Guard eligibility too.
As your local marketing specialist, I stand ready and willing to serve the real estate needs of our heroes this Veterans Day, the American Veteran.
THANK A VET THIS NOVEMBER 11th
AMERICAN VETERANS WE SALUTE YOU
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE