To those who are currently serving our country, to those we have lost, and to those who are retired, I want to say thank you. All of you men and women are risking or have risked your lives so we can continue to live in freedom. What you are doing means more to us than you probably know. I come from a family with many people who have served our country, I know what you guys do is not easy but you continue to do it anyway.
To those currently serving, I cannot say I know what you are going through because I have never been where you are now, so I will not pretend to understand what you are going through. I just want all of you to know that you are appreciated. I know that being away from your friends and family, not being able to just sit, relax and laugh with them is something you miss every day and it must be emotionally draining. I know the things you witness or the tasks you have to do are things people like me, who have never served, will never understand and are probably some of the most difficult things you’ve ever done, emotionally and physically you must be drained, but you do it anyway. You might not get told thank you every day, or maybe you do, but please know how thankful all of us are for what you do and will continue to do.
To those we have lost, and to your families, I am sorry. I will be forever grateful for what you did for all of us to be able to live as we do. You gave up your life fighting for us, and there is no way for any of us to repay you or your family for that. I know your family must miss you, I know your friends must miss you too, but I hope they all understand that you did not die in vain. You will forever live on as a hero and what you died for will not go unnoticed. We may not know all of those lost by name, but we do know many people have died for us, and we do pay our respects.
To our vets, we are glad you made it home. I know there are probably many struggles you still go through every day, but just like everyone else, we are thankful for what you have done. I do not know what you went through or what you are currently going through, but I know most of you deserve better. Many people who return home become homeless and cannot get a job, and to me, that is unacceptable. For someone to risk their lives for us just to come home and not get a job is absurd. You, our vets, deserve to be treated with respect after everything you have done for us. We appreciate you… even if you think otherwise, know that we are forever grateful for you helping our country stay a free nation.
