Ever since Veterans Day became a federal holiday in 1938, it has been widely celebrated for the purpose of honoring the men and women who have bravely served this country to ensure our freedom and safety in this great country. But have we really celebrated these amazing soldiers? I mean, in school we talk about what the Military has done to save us. But my ideal celebration to commemorate the soldiers is to actually spend time with these soldiers.
     A study that I conducted inside of my school and through social media found that out of the 219 people I conducted interviews on, 153 people have veterans in their immediate family (parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, 1st cousins), and 66 do not. This would indicate that 69.8% of people have an alive veteran in their immediate family. Out of the 153 people who said that they did have a veteran in their immediate family, 98 were considered minors (within 13-17 years of age), and the other 55 were considered adults (18+). With this statistic, 64% of people who have veterans in their immediate family are minors, meaning they would be enrolled in school and most likely unable to visit these family members on Veterans Day. To take it a step further, 48% of people have a veteran in their immediate family and are also considered minors based on their age. This would mean that all these children are unable to see their veteran family members on Veterans Day. Furthermore, the 25% of adults I interviewed and said they have a veteran in their immediate family were all employed full-time, with many being teachers and are unable to take that day off. 
      I have had a personal experience with this issue that has inspired me to create this: my grandpa, Frank DeLoncker. In December of 2014, he was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent chemotherapy for 6 months until he successfully beat cancer in May of 2015. I was fortunate to have him attend an event in my 1st-grade classroom for Grandparent's Day. He had also come into my 5th-grade class in 2018 to give a presentation to a few classes in my school. He served in the army and was very passionate about his service, eventually becoming the Commander of Amvets Post 202, an organization that advocates for veterans for the Korean War, Vietnam War, and WWII. In 2019, while my amazing mother and I were in New York, got the heartbreaking news that he had now been diagnosed with lung cancer. He hadn't smoked or taken a single sip of alcohol in roughly 30 years, so it was very unpredictable. He struggled and battled until May 29, when he was admitted into the hospital, and this would be the last time he would be outside ever again. He kept battling until he was transferred to hospice, and died on June 22, 2019, from pneumonia associated with his cancer. He was 68, and I was 11 years old. Exactly a month later, my mom gave birth to my sister, which would've been his 4th grandchild. I also had the honor to read General Logan's Orders 11 at a Memorial Day service in 2018, a year before he passed. My grandpa, who I called "Papa", did so much for the City of Elgin, spending every second of his free time dedicated to the community. I was very interested in the service and time he dedicated to this country. 
     If I would've had these extra few days off on Veterans Day while my grandfather was still alive, I could have learned so much more from him surrounding these events. I can most definitely say that I enjoyed the time with him talking about his time in the service and hearing the passion in his voice. These extra few days that I could've had off may have possibly made so many more great memories with him than I already had.
      And that's why I'm writing to you all; to give kids and adults the experience of talking to veterans in their families that I didn't have the opportunity to do, and maybe give some children the motivation and the preparation to serve this country, just like their family members did. Putting a bill of this sort into effect would positively impact so many lives, not just yours, but quite possibly everyone in this country.