One is a grandson. One a cousin. One a brother. Two are daughters. All of them understand, to varying personal degrees, the pride that comes with serving in the military. Pride felt by servicemen and servicewomen. Pride felt by their families, friends and neighbors.

That pride and what it means, how it sustains and how it inspires is the heart of the six essays on this page today. Kevin Cullen, a St. Dominic Regional High School U.S. history teacher, asked his advance placement (AP) students recently to write on “Pride in the Military.” These six essays were among the many turned in, and reflect a deep and personal awareness of the pride connected with military service — as well as the sacrifice, sense of responsibility and ever-present potential for loss.

Many of the essay writers have a close connection with the topic, as daughters, brothers, grandchildren and cousins. They have been personally touched.

One writer, a grandson, highlights the special qualities of U.S. servicemen and women, and how they represent all Americans.

Another speaks in part to the pride that motivates our military personnel to protect our nation at the risk of their own lives, spreading freedom to the world.

Another addresses the gratefulness and gratitude all Americans should have — and show — for the nation’s military men and women.

One writer, a cousin of a serviceman, has been inspired to enlist and train to be a doctor in the Army.

Another, who offers unique, familial military voices — one going back to 1757 — looks forward to enlisting after college.

And two daughters write movingly about the personal pride and understanding of sacrifice that comes with having a deeply missed father in the military.

Cullen will be entering several of the essays on this page in the national “VFW Pride in the Military” essay contest.