How many times while you are out doing your everyday thing do you happen upon a little old man…minding his own business, doing his everyday thing. Perhaps a bit hunched over…maybe even a bit of a scowl on his face….but that Vietnam Veteran hat perched proudly on his head. Or maybe it’s a young man who you can tell in an instant clearly has a ‘chip’ on his shoulder or a look of guardedness in his eyes…but proudly wearing his Gruntstyle t-shirt with his American flag tattoo prominently blazing down one arm. Do you stop for a moment and think about the sacrifice they made? Do you take the time to look them in the eye and say “thank you”? How much time out of your busy day would that actually take? How much of THEIR life did they give up to allow you… and all of us… to live with the freedoms so many take for granted.
“Thank you for your service. ”
Five simple words….but so powerful.
I have always tried to make sure I make an effort to acknowledge a Veteran or service member…no matter where I am or what distractions I may have in any particular moment. Perhaps it is because I come from a military family with a father who dedicated his life to the United States Air Force. Maybe it is because I am the incredibly proud mother of a soldier who enlisted in the Army Reserves at the tender age of seventeen and deployed before he reached the age of twenty-one. But I’d like to think it is simply because I understand, beyond any doubt, that the men and women who serve our country and sacrifice their lives deserve all of our thanks…and so much more. I suppose it is likely a combination of them all.
It always amazes me when I look them in the eyes and say “Thank you for your service ” how many of them look back at me with surprise…but that look of surprise is always followed by a look of gratitude and typically a quietly spoken “thank you “. I would like to hope that some day there will never be a look of surprise in any of their faces when someone offers words of thanks for the sacrifices they have made.
For the last year I have been blessed to be responsible for the running of Victory for Vets Veteran Service Dog Program. Simply put, that means that I am the center part of the program and the direct contact for every aspect of the stages we have put in place from the referral of a Veteran to the dog adoption agency and from the trainers to the Veterans participating in our program. I have been given the incredible opportunity to get to know these service men and women on a personal basis…and they have blessed my life beyond measure. I am humbled at each thank you that I receive from them for the difference this program has made in their lives because although I understand their gratitude, I so strongly believe that they deserve what we provide and so much more that I feel like we are truly the ones that should be saying thank you…and I do, to each and every one of them every time they thank me as the person that represents Victory for Vets to them. And each time I am given the opportunity to learn a little bit more about their life and their story, I am increasingly grateful for them, for the difference they have made in all of our lives, and for the gift I have been given to have such a vital role in making their lives better every day.
“Thank you for your service “.
Say it….mean it…reflect upon it….you never know what a difference it will make in someone’s life. And trust me, it truly will make a difference in yours.
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