Veterans of America

I would like to take a moment to thank each and every veteran and active military member for your selfless service to our country.

My father is a Vietnam Veteran. I don't know much about his tour, but the stuff he has shared with me is enough to know that I could not have done what they did. No amount of words can truly express my gratitude and love for my father as a soldier. He was a young man of 18 when he was shipped thousands of miles away to a jungle he knew nothing of. My father had lost his own father a mere 4 years before he left for Vietnam. Maybe he was searching for him. Maybe my dad was searching for himself.

Growing up with a Vet for a dad I learned early on to respect soldiers everywhere by thanking them whenever and where ever I run into them. Whether we were in the grocery store or the mall, when my father saw a fellow soldier he always approached them and said his thank you's. I am ashamed to admit this but when I was younger this act embarrassed me and I thought my dad was a strange man. On this day of rememberance I realize that my father is not strange my father is a respectful, loving, devoted soldier who is still trying to heal his wounds.

Please take a minute out of what is left this Veteran's Day to say thank you to the men and women who are giving their lives for our freedom.