Veterans Day: Thank You for Saying “Thank You”

“Thank you for your service.” 

There are always a few articles floating around the Internet this time of year taking aim at the phrase “thank you for your service.” Some people feel it’s become a reflex, as empty as asking a passerby how he/she is doing or blessing a sneeze. Some service members I know feel like they haven’t done anything particularly heroic to deserve the thanks. They joined the military to pay for college, haven’t deployed, and are getting a steady paycheck for an office job.

As a Technical Sergeant in the United States Air Force, I might hear “thank you for your service” after paying for some donuts to bring back to the office or at Walgreen’s before heading home from work. At first, I didn’t know what to say. It surprised me. Here I was, paying for something as random as ChapStick, and a complete stranger thanked me for my service. I felt silly, because I sure wasn’t doing anything particularly heroic at the moment.

Not too long ago, I realized it wasn’t about me specifically. I was leaving my son’s elementary school in my usual ABUs (Airman Battle Uniform, but you probably know it as “camouflage”), when I saw a little girl looking at me as if she had seen a pop star. At ME. I looked around to make sure she wasn’t waving at someone behind me. And then she saluted me, and asked “Are you a real soldier?!” I smiled, and saluted her back. I told her I was an Airman, and maybe one day she could be one too. Her eyes lit up like I told her she could be President.

I think I was even more awestruck than that little girl. I never thought about how the rest of the community sees me when I walk around in my uniform. I realized that when people thank me for my service or salute me, it’s about what I represent. I represent Freedom. I represent the thousands of service members who have given their lives to defend our country. People aren’t just thanking Amy for what she’s done—they’re thanking the military as a whole. Just like our Airman’s Creed says, “I am an American Airman… I am faithful to a Proud Heritage, A Tradition of Honor, And a Legacy of Valor.” Whether I spent my day providing soldiers the safest route to travel in a combat zone or simply filing paperwork, I remember I am faithful to a proud heritage and a legacy of valor.

So, thank you for saying “thank you.” I am honored to serve in whatever capacity that may be, and I appreciate the support.