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Living Room / Is "Thank you for your service" enough for veterans?
« Last post by Josh on November 05, 2011, 06:29 PM »I remember the first time I was thanked by a stranger for my military service. It was February 2006, and I was on the way home for mid-tour leave with a planeload of other troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our plane stopped in Bangor, Maine, like thousands of similar flights before and after ours. One by one, garbed in dusty camouflage, we walked into the terminal.
I was expecting an empty airport, but instead we were met by a platoon of older volunteers decked out in red-white-and-blue, welcoming us home with cookies and cellphones so we could call our families and let them know we were back stateside. One by one, the volunteers thanked us, shaking our hands or hugging us.
As a soldier, I recommend everyone read this article.
I agree with everything this article says. However, I would like to point out one thing I have run across in my travels. I've heard some people thank veterans solely because it is the politically correct thing to do right now. I've watched some of these same people then bad mouth soldiers, the military, and the country. My point in identifying this is simple: Do not thank a soldier or veteran just because. Do it because you mean it. If you do not mean it, don't do it. That is why we fight, have fought, and will continue to fight...So you can have the FREEDOM to make that choice. I do not want support from every person out there because I know not all people support what we do or why we do it.
Enjoy your freedoms, that is why soldiers like myself have fought and will continue to do so.
I will say that I enjoy, for the most part, being thanked for my service. There is nothing better than knowing what I do is appreciated. I enjoy it when you can tell the person saying it genuinely means it. Just remember, Saying thank you does not necessarily mean doing it vocally. You can do it other ways like allowing a soldier to go in front of you at a store during checkout, offering them a hand with bags or a large load they are attempting to move, or just simply holding a door open. I don't speak for all soldiers but I do know that some soldiers appreciate small things like this far more than a "Thank you".
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