How Should I Explain The Alamo To A Child?

When I began to get questions from children visiting the Alamo about the men who fought the Battle, I tried to avoid using the words kill and death, or any form thereof, in my answers.  

I don’t know why I was apprehensive, since I, myself, had confronted death as a child of four, when the neighborhood dogs ate my yellow, Easter duckling.

Perhaps it was because I thought I should shield the youngsters from the harsh realities of life, that I used words like honor, loyalty, and sacrifice instead.

These days, based on a little research and some professional advice, I use all of those words, freely and conjunctively.  The reality of death is all around us and we cannot prevent children’s exposure to it, anymore than we can prevent scraped knees from time to time.  All we can do is deal with it when it happens.  The professionals say that adults must talk with children about death so the children will know it is alright for them to talk about it.

I feel more comfortable answering their questions now because I am able to explain to the children that the Texan soldiers who died in the Alamo are like our soldiers who die in Iraq and Afghanistan.  They made the choice to risk sacrificing their most precious possession, their lives, to win another precious possession, the right to live free.