Triumphs and Tragedies Only Military Families Will Understand: “Before Ken was in the military, he was a police officer, and life was so happy, and just easy,” she says. “We had a 4,000 square foot home with several acres of land. We were just really happy.” After the September 11 attacks, Ken decided to serve his country in a different way, and joined the army. “The kids and I were all just really proud of him—and if you ask us now, we’d tell you we would do it all over again,” Patti says.