Veteran’s Day makes me think about  the military so that’s what I’ll write about today.

If a character in a screenplay is a soldier or a sailor, then the character can be very complex.   Or very simple.

What was the motivation for the soldier to enter the military?  Is it “tradition”?  Were his parents in the army?    Is she the fourth generation to enter the navy?  If the SP takes place in the sixties, maybe the soldier was drafted.

Is the soldier married?  If so, is his spouse also in the military?  Or is the spouse at home and alone with a boatload of kids?

Veteran’s Day makes me think about these things.    I was never in the military but, when I was in my early twenties, I considered it.  How would my life have been different if I had joined?

My father and my father-in-law were both in the navy but were not part of WWII. 

I had several friends in the sixties that enlisted because their draft numbers were low.  Thank God, none of them went to Nam.

My two brothers served, one in the marines and one in the navy.   And their lives, right now, are completely different from each other.  Did their service have something to do with this?

I have a brother-in-law who is career army, a doctor.   And his son, my nephew, served in Iraq.    Is there a story there, perhaps the relationship between father and son. 

Another nephew joined the Marines but hurt his back and had to accept a discharge.   Will this have some impact on his future?

Think about our military on this Veteran’s Day.  Be grateful for their service.  Pray for our men and women who serve overseas.

While you do this, you might get some great ideas for a screenplay!