Happy Veteran's Day.
I have the privilege of having 2 grandfathers, an uncle, 2 cousins and a cousin's husband and a father in law who have served as well as 2 friends. To them, I say thank you.
At Church yesterday, our pastor (himself a vet) preached a sermon that spoke of human service and Christ's service. One of the things I like about our church is that the pastor takes scripture and makes it very relate able to us today - as it is and should be. He talked about John 15:13: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Yes, our troops sign up to protect us and our ideals but in the thick of it, they are fighting to survive and fighting to protect those who are right there with them; something that they learn in training. He connected that scripture to that idea. It makes it very poignant and creates a very real picture.
Those in church who served were asked to stand so that they could be recognized for their service. Afterwards, a man came up and patted Jarrad on the shoulder and thanked him for his service.
Insert pained smile here. Jarrad said it wasn't the first time that this happened to him, either.
This is what goes through my head. 1. If it were a stranger, might it be ok to just say thank you on behalf of all service men and women? No, not really. That would be dishonest and might do a disservice to those who served (although, from the few vets I know, I don't think that they would mind). 2. How sad it is that so many of our service men and women are coming home with lost limbs and as paraplegics that the assumptions are that you were in the military.
Jarrad says he answers with a "Thank you but I did not serve our country. I just know the value of a good hair cut." He says that the person usually laughs and walks away. I think that is a good way to handle what could be a awkward situation.
So to all vets, thank you for your service. Thank you for sacrificing time and sometimes your body.
Thank you.
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