Years ago I received a death threat simply for my employment. I was in the Navy. See, a fellow from Bellingham thought I was of interest to speak to…. Until he learned I was a Sailor. Next thing I knew, I was, “The Enemy”, a “hateful murderer”, and a whole variety of other lovely things. He was so offended by my employment that he told me that I’d better sleep with one eye open, “because I will haunt you for the rest of your life. I will track down your family and everyone you love. You are a murdering pig, and you have no right to live.”
Okay, so he was a tad extreme. But I had thought of this many times over the years. In our “conversation”, I had tried to explain to the guy that all I did for the Navy, at that time, was paint airplanes. (He said it didn’t matter. I was military and that means I was still the enemy. He was real sane….)
When I think back, I remember my lame attempt at a defense, and realize it was true. All I did was paint planes. So, now I’m a Vet, and I keep hearing that people need to thank me and all of the other Vets. I know of other people who did no more than clean floors and toilets, but they are Vets. Should we thank them? Paper pushers, cooks, are they worthy of a thank you?
YOU HAD BETTER DAMN WELL BELIEVE THEY ARE!!!
But the question, then, is why?
We’re in a war many believe is not our own. We hear that our military fights for our rights, and yet we wonder how if they are all in foreign countries defending the rest of the world. We complain how our soldiers aren’t really defending us, but the wars of our politicians, motivated by oil and money. So if our military is defending others, how are we to thank them for defending our shores and rights?
As someone who served 14 years, I thought many times over, “I’m not doing anything for my country, why do people keep saying I’m fighting for the USA?”
Allow me to shed some light on this subject. There is a big myth out there that the soldier/sailor/marine/airman blindly follows orders and is required to agree with everything our government does. This is not true. We are all people, just like the average civilian. We vote, we have our own opinions, we disagree… There are many people, right now as I type this, that wear our uniforms and carry our weapons, halfway around the world from their families, following orders, in countries they maybe aren’t comfortable in, may have no interest in, possibly want nothing to do with, and in war zones they perhaps don’t believe they should be involved in.
The fellow in my opening story argued that if we don’t agree with our orders, we shouldn’t enlist; shouldn’t follow those orders. But here is exactly why you SHOULD thank today’s Vet. WE KNOW WE ARE VOLUNTEERING TO DO SOMETHING WE MAY NOT BELIEVE IN, FOR THE BETTER GOOD. That’s right. The average Veteran, as they looked at that enlistment contract knew they wanted to do right; they wanted to serve their country. But the average serviceperson knew, as they signed that contract, that they were going to be asked into conflicts they may not agree with, and they might even feel is downright wrong. But they knew that in order for the United States of America (the country and home that they love) to survive, we require a military presence.
If the USA had no military, we’d be gone before we could blink. The rest of the world, like us or not, knows we have a rich, fertile, and beautiful chunk of land. If for no other reason, you can bet that without the simple existence of our military, someone somewhere would walk right in and wipe us out, and we’d no longer have the USA.
The service member, the Vet, understands this. They understand that they are sacrificing, or have sacrificed, their own beliefs to “blindly” follow our orders, because in the big picture, it IS what keeps our country free and our families safe.
On top of that, they sacrifice their time with friends and family, risk relationships, and threaten their own life and limbs to walk into conflicts they may or may not agree with, that may go totally against everything they believe in, just because they know that the fact that we have a military is what keeps our country safe.
So yes, thank a vet.
Thank you, to everyone from commanding officers to pooper cleaners, and everyone in between. The simple fact that you raised your hand, wear/wore that uniform, and show/showed up to work every day when the world is/was against you…. You are important. You ARE fighting for our country. You ARE what is keeping our country safe. And I thank each and every one of you, no matter if you are black or white (or anything in between), male or female, old or young, gay or straight, republican or democrat, SEAL or First Lieutenant. You are making a huge difference.
Of course, I know this only scratches the surface of why our Veterans are so important, but I think that many of our Veterans (and civilians) feel that just because we may not have seen combat, and in direct defense of our shores, we aren’t worth the thanks that maybe a World War Vet deserves. Our Vets need to hear that we do care, that we do appreciate the sacrifices they make, and that we do appreciate them. So on this Veteran’s Day, take a look at how you really think of the Vets you know, and give them thanks, because no matter what their jobs were or are. They do keep us safe and free.
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