A poppy for the many, many veterans in my family. Photos of a few of them:

Dominick Connelly, my father's great-grandfather, who served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

My mother's Uncle Sidney Wilson, a British soldier who was killed in 1917 in World War I, before she was born.

My grandfather, William I. Connelly Sr, who served as a lawyer for the Coast Guard during World War II.

My father, William I. Connelly Jr, who served in the Army Air Force in England during World War II (and also in Europe when the war was over).

For my husband Larry, a Vietnam War veteran;

my son Jonathan Ford

and his wife Jennifer, who both served 10 years in the US Army;

My son Aaron Ford who served 4 years in the US Air Force;

My son Larry Thomas Holstein who served in the US Air Force;

and my son Derek Ford, still in service as a Sergeant Major in the Army National Guard.

To all our soldiers, my profound gratitude and respect.