All seven of my brothers served in the U.S. Military at varying times. They never talked much about it, even when asked. From bits and pieces gathered over the decades each of their stories begin to take shape. 

Whatever is exceptional, unique and great about the nation wasn't obtained by one person, one side...but a patchwork, a kaleidoscope of varying hues, colors and shapes, genders. A monochromatic scale of differences from every walk of life. If anything makes America great, it's those differences and not one man, one side doing it all with one hand tied behind their back.

Which brings me to something I recently discovered about one of my seven brothers who served. He never talked much about his time serving in the military during the 1960s and well into the '70s, and part '80s at varying periods. 

We recently lost our mother, a three times cancer survivor. The third time she was diagnosed nearly 13 years ago, she was given only a year to live without surgery. She was hesitant to have another surgery, but thanks to a very young female Air Force doctor at Vanderbilt in Nashville, the surgery was a success, and we were graced with 13 more years of having her in our lives. A most phenomenal woman if anyone ever knew her own story of survival from the very early age of nine after losing her mother, and she made it to age 96, bore 11 children, one died in infancy...10 surviving into adulthood, seven served in the military. I was later told either the cancer was a rare type, or the surgery and/or approach to treating it made the medical journals. Either or all were considered rare or a new way of treatment used was a first. Of course, the medical journal part is hard to prove because it would most likely be written about under a number and not use of the patients' actual name. 

What I discovered while going through my mother's things, clearing out her apartment, was a 59-year-old passport belonging to one of my brothers who served in military intelligence in the 1960s. I never doubted he was in Intelligence, but to come across possible proof was amazing. Mama kept everything, photos, cards, letters, gifts...you name it. Especially those my brothers sent from around the world while in the military. 

The passport has the signature of Dean Rusk who served as the 54th Secretary of State under President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson until his resignation in 1969. The passport has of course my brothers birthdate, 1945. He was 21 at the time the passport was issued in 1967 with dates, height, race etc., whether he was married or had children at the time, which he didn't, and, of course, his photo. The most interesting wordings on the passport in all caps are "Abroad ON OFFICIAL ASSIGNMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT."

This is just a reminder as there seems to be some kind of effort to rewrite history, especially military history and those who served the country, limiting it all to mostly an exclusive group. But from the young Air Force doctor at Vanderbilt and the team of doctors she was able to put together to perform a most complicated surgery that extended my mom's life to my brother in the 1960s who was in and out of parts of Africa and southeast Asia in those years. I'm sure there were others like him as well. To deny that history, to hide it or attempt to destroy it is to deny the existence of the nation and that patchwork quilt and kaleidoscope of varying hues, shades, differences, genders, those things and people who helped America to rise to whatever greatness, uniqueness, exceptionalism the nation celebrates today. 

Brenda Washington