I remember the day I found out my brother was being deployed to Iraq. It was a few days after he had gone back to Germany after surprising us with a week long visit. That should have given it away to me, but I was too naive to know. I was with my mom and my sister outside of church after Saturday night mass talking to one my mom's friends. They didn't realize we were listening and I overheard the woman ask my mom when he was supposed to leave for Iraq. My world stopped. I didn't hear the rest of their conversation. I was trying to pretend what I had just heard wasn't real. But it was. When we got in the car to drive home, I asked my mom about and she told me. I tried to be brave because I knew how scared my mom was. But when we got home I couldn't hold it in. Not only was I scared, but I was angry that no one told me. I didn't get to give him a proper goodbye. At that point, it was possible that I may never see him alive again.

The truth is, up until that moment, I didn't think he would ever be deployed. I mean, I knew it would happen one day. But I never really imagined it. It was hard to find hope when he was there, but I counted down the days. It was long, but he made it through.

You learn a lot about the strength of people when you go through something like that. When he first went to boot camp, I remember finding my mom crying in her room. One of her own kids went into the military and was probably going to go to war. I can imagine it's a mother's worst nightmare. Her crying made me scared, but it never made me think she was weak. If anything, it made her seem stronger. To be able to go about you daily life with that fear hanging over you is almost as strong as being able to fight for your country with the possibility of death. I remember telling her what I kept telling myself, that every day was another day closer to him coming home. It got us through the toughest times.

Obviously having a loved on isn't all that bad. Those years include some of the happiest memories. Like when we road tripped down the east coast to see him graduate boot camp. Like the time he came home and bought Rock Band and we played that for a solid week. Like the time he came home and we went to Disney World. That was one of the best trips because we were able to fully appreciate the fact that all six of us were able to go. I think my favorite memories, though, are all the parties we had when he would come home. Whether it was the summer or not, all of his friends would be at our house constantly. His friends easily became family and celebrating him being safe was one of the best part about all of this.

One of the other amazing things that came out of this was the community. My mom joined Blue Star Mothers of America, which is a nonprofit organization that supports women with children serving in the military. Through this organization, not only was my mother able to meet other women going through the same thing she was, but we were able to give back. My mom took me and my sister on several occasions to help make care packages for the soldiers overseas. It was great to be doing a small service for those making the ultimate sacrifice.

When my brother went to Afghanistan, it was even harder than the first time he was deployed. Now I was a few years older. I lost two aunts to cancer around the time he left. It really hit me that no one is immortal. I felt lucky that he came home alive the first time. Would I be so lucky the second time?

I was. But I wouldn't give all the credit to luck. My brother was the one sent overseas. He was the one who fought through. He was the one who made it back. It wasn't luck alone. It was also his strength. Luck kept him from being at the wrong place at the wrong time. But his strength kept him from giving up.

I still feel bad for how hard this was on me. As hard as it could have been for me, it was so much harder for me. He was the one who was separated from his family and friends. He was put in a foreign country. He was the one fighting. He was the one fearing for his own life, and seeing his friends in danger first hand. Nothing I was feeling could compare to what he was feeling. But he was strong. His strength reminded me that I could be strong too.

When his time serving was over my whole family was relieved. We no longer had to worry as much about his safety. I had gotten so used to worrying about getting a call saying he was going to be deployed again. It was weird feeling not to worry. But it was a nice feeling.

Now my brother is married and has two beautiful kids. Seriously, they are the cutest kids. He's going to school now. They live in Texas, not far from where he was last stationed. He's so happy.

This past summer his family came out to New Jersey visit for my younger sister's high school graduation. A few nights while he was visiting, just he and I stayed out till about 3 A.M. reflecting on his years of service and our family. We talked about how hard it was for our family, but how it's made us so much stronger. We were able to get through such a hard time. We learned to cherish every single moment spent with loved ones, especially when the whole family is together. I moved across the country last year to pursue my dream of screenwriting. This was terrifying, both to me and my parents. But we kept reminding ourselves of what my brother went through. Being alone, all over the world, with his life on the line. Moving to California for college was nothing compared to that.

During those late night conversations over the summer, my brother opened up to me about some of his experiences. I always knew some of the things that go on during war from watching movies and hearing veterans speak. But it's so different hearing it from someone you're so close to, from someone you knew before they went to war. He is so strong, to both go through all of that, and to continue on to having the life he's made for himself now.

It is so important to thank the veterans in our country. It's easy to feel angry at our country in times of injustice. But because of our veterans, we have the protected freedom to speak out against those injustices. Don't forget about that. And don't forget to thank a veteran in your life, whether you know them personally or you're just standing behind them in line at the grocery store.