One Day

Today is a special day.

Today is the one day out of a year that is about you.

Today is the day that we all come out and thank you for what you’ve been doing for us; what you’ve been doing for us for longer than a day out of a year.

You are the ones who, when there is danger, run to it in order to stop it…while everyone else is running the other way.

You are the ones who do the real monster hunting…so that we can sleep in our beds without fear.

You are the ones who slog through deserts and jungles and everything in between –in full battle rattle…so that we can have our barbecues and celebrate our independence while cracking open a nice cold one.

You are the ones who see the real faces of the enemy…while we separate ourselves from it by either telling ourselves that ignorance is bliss, or through careless choices in where we get our news.

You are the ones who miss family holidays and want nothing more than to be with them…while we complain about seeing in-laws or having ‘too many people’ in the house.

You are the ones who are homesick, but wouldn’t dream of giving up your duty.

You are the ones who shake your head at horror movies, because you know what real horror is.

You are the ones who won’t tell us everything about what you’ve seen…or done…or heard…partly because you want to spare us from the horrors, but mostly because we just cannot possibly understand.

You are the ones who have watched buddy after buddy die …while I can count on one hand the number of funerals that I’ve been to in my life.

You are the ones who leave your families behind for months on end…while we get to come home to them every day after work.

You are the ones who miss your child growing up…while we often complain about how annoying children can be.

You are the ones who are willing to give everything up so that we can be free.

And we give you just one day out of the year.

For all of those who have served, are currently serving, or intend to serve in the future:

You are the real heroes.

If you  or someone you know and loved served our country, would you do me the honor of posting their name and rank in the comments if you are comfortable doing so? I may not generate the most traffic…but I want those who do happen to view my blog today to remember your loved ones.

Have you thanked a Veteran today? Make sure you do it. Make sure they know they’re not forgotten.

Today is the day that WE take care of YOU.