“Thank you sir, for all you do to serve our country.” Those were the seemingly sincere words from a man to my friend who was dressed in his military uniform. “You’re welcome,” came his response, but something was off when he acknowledged the praise. It seemed a little odd to me; my friend, who has served overseas both in war zones and on peacekeeping missions, definitely deserved to be thanked. Then he explained how he sometimes felt like the words were empty and that it is just a rote response from people who don’t understand and maybe never will what it means to serve our country.

 

I will not claim to fully understand; I have not served in the armed forces or even grown up in a military family. That does not, however, mean that I am not grateful to friends, family and all of those whom I will never meet who voluntarily put their lives on the line in defense of our nation. As for all of our veterans who did not sign-up but were drafted, you have my respect. To all of the spouses who hold down the fort back home, I am humbled by your ability to handle more than you may have planned for. To all of the children who pray each night for their mothers and fathers to come home safe, I am in awe.

 

I can send all the thank you notes in the world to each of our service men and women, to their parents, spouses and children, but I think my friend is right; “Thank You” doesn’t seem to be enough. It is a good place to start, but how about instead of sharing our gratitude we give our veterans the space to share their stories. Instead of speaking simply listen. Everyone has a story and everyone deserves a place to share that story.

 

In an effort to say thank you to our veterans please share this blog post, but don’t stop there. I invite you, whether you are a veteran or your loved ones are veterans to share a bit of that story. What does Veterans’ Day mean to you? Where and when did you serve? What has been most rewarding or challenging? These are just a few ideas, but please share your story as you see fit. Post it below in the comments, Tweet, or post this blog to Facebook or Instagram and add a picture of your loved ones who’ve served our nation. When we take time to hear someone’s story we may come to better understand and then, just maybe, that “Thank you “ will no longer be rote but instead written on our hearts.

 

It is EternityBound Media’s mission to capture the moments that tell your life’s story including our veterans and their families. So whether it is capturing a tearful sendoff, the surprise homecoming or the playing of taps for a life well served, EternityBound Media will be there to accompany you preserving those moments of life’s story. For more information on the services I provide please email: eternityboundmedia@gmail.com