Please Thank Veterans For Our Freedoms Every Chance You Get

Updated 11/11/2020

Please thank veterans for our freedoms every chance you get because many of them never have been thanked.

Each Veteran’s Day, I fondly remember the conversation that ensued when I thanked a dinner guest upon learning he was a Veteran. From that day forward, I have been on a mission to thank Veterans.

I am in awe of Veterans because they willfully signed up to protect America, knowing they may be sacrificing their own life. You need to be a special person to do that.

In my opinion, Veterans have certainly earned their holiday. They protected our freedoms. The United States would undoubtedly be a very different place if not for their sacrifices.

About twenty-five years ago, my husband and I hosted a St. Patrick’s Day dinner for some close friends. They were not Irish and had never experienced a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner. We decided they needed to share in our Irish heritage, and we cooked up a bunch of corned beef, cabbage, boiled potatoes, and homemade Irish Soda bread. It was quite a feast!

On the day of our dinner, one of our friends called and asked if it would be okay to bring an extra guest. I, of course, said, “sure, there’s always room for another guest.” My friend said, “Great, his name is Vince.” I quickly set another place setting at the table so we’d be ready for everyone.

I was a little surprised when our friends arrived, and Vince was an older gentleman. We were all in our late twenties/early thirties, and Vince was long past retirement age. He immediately intrigued me. Who was this Vince, and how did he come to know our good friends Debra and David?

Admittedly, I immediately wanted to interrogate Vince to find out who he was and what his connection was to our friends, but I knew that would not be polite. So, I waited patiently for the right time to steer the conversation in his direction.

A very long story short, it turned out that David had met Vince at OTB. They struck up a conversation and took a liking to each other right away. David had recently become blind (as a result of diabetes), and Vince offered to be David’s eyes (so to speak). They became fast friends. David proudly mentioned at the dinner table that Vince was a Veteran.

I thought that was great, and I immediately said to Vince, “Thank you so much for your service.” Imagine my shock when he looked at me and said, “Wow, no one has ever said that to me before.” It wasn’t an earth-shattering statement; however, Vince became emotional.

We then peppered him with questions about where he served, how long, etc., and boy did he become animated and light up telling us his story. He was a great guy, and I was so happy that he had joined us for dinner.

I have been going out of my way to thank Veterans after that experience with Vince. The reactions I have received have been fantastic. I love to ask Veterans where they served and witness the pride in their faces as they tell me. They are always so grateful to be recognized.

I do approach men and women in uniform to say thank you. Before Covid, I would extend my hand to shake theirs. Unfortunately, not anymore!

I truly am impressed with those that served our country. Veterans left their families to protect our freedoms. How could we not be indebted to them?

My daughter has two good friends currently serving in the military. I pray for them (and all those serving) every night. Where would we be without them? It’s too scary for me to even think about it!

Would you mind saying thank you to a serviceman or servicewoman this Veteran’s Day? It may be the first time they hear it, and wouldn’t that be wonderful?

God Bless America.