[patton]

Good for you.

[TheGeezer]

Good for you, indeed!

ANYTIME we see a soldier, we must congratulate them, buy their meals for them, make them feel appreciated and welcome. We must not let the nation-hating Left brand the defenders of the nation with guilt and hate, as they did after the VietNam War.

[TheGeezer]

Good for you, indeed!

ANYTIME we see a soldier, we must congratulate them, buy their meals for them, make them feel appreciated and welcome. We must not let the nation-hating Left brand the defenders of the nation with guilt and hate, as they did after the VietNam War.

[arichtaxpayer]

Congratulations our your good deed, and welcome to Free Republic (the only website you'll ever need).

[Freedom2specul8]

Welcome to Free Republic..

What was his reply??

[mplsconservative]

I'm curious too. What was the soldier's response?

Another welcome to Free Republic to you.

[zip]

Bravo.

That "thank you" meant more than most people can ever realize. I was in San Francisco in 1965 on my way to my next military duty station and would have given anything to have received a positive comment of any kind.

Thank you from a vet and Columbia MO Infinite FReeper.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

My mother recently flew on a plane with American soldiers, one in particular caught her eye. As she watched him, she teared up, at a loss for words, and couldn't approach him. She was so overwhelmed with gratitude for his strength and bravery, and also concern for his well-being and the sacrifices placed upon him, that she couldn't find the right words.

I'm pleased that you found them.

[zip]

Just noticed your "sign on" date.

WELCOME TO FREE REPUBLIC.

[dware]

The response you get when you say thank you is satisfying. Generally, you can tell you made their day.

During the '03 tax season, I was working inside a grocery store, filling out tax returns for one of the Nationwide chain tax companies. I was standing outside smoking a cigarette when an older gentleman walked up and struck up a conversation about the weather.

At the time, the Red Cross had their blood drive going, and had their bus parked out in front of the store. He noticed the bus, and made mention of it along with the fact that he had served in WWII.

We carried the conversation back into the store and, just before he was about to walk off to do his shopping, I reached my hand out and said "Thank you for your service to the country." He paused for a moment, then a smile spread across his face and he replied "No problem", and went about his business. I could tell he was a little taken aback, and happy.

Since then, I try to make it a point to say thank you when I see a soldier or someone wearing a veteran hat. It makes everyone involved a happier person.

[conservcalgal]

Well, I did it. Yes I did. I said thank you without crying. No tears. None.

Thanks for posting. I have been too shy to say thank you for the exact same reason. I will next time.

Welcome!!

[Eala]

Welcome to FreeRepublic!!

[WVNan]

Welcome to Free Republic, and thank you for saying thank you.

[manic4organic]

My daughter was singing at a gig in Dallas recently. Two soldiers were at the bar. I said "thank you" with beer (and words). They were humble and grateful. As am I by their service to our country.

[breakem]

xlnt

[68skylark]

I have a related story. I've served for years in the state defense force here in Indiana -- our uniforms are nearly identical to the Army BDU's. Our people have been putting in months of active duty at Camp Atterbury to help troops get mobilized for overseas duty from all over the eastern half of the nation.

Many of the people in the unit are in their 50's and 60's and determined to keep serving -- it's an inspiration to be around these guys who could leave the work to younger men, but don't.

There's a Major in my unit who was on his way to duty and stopped at a fast food restaurant for a soda. A little kid came up to him and said something like "Mister, thankyou for your service."

He was blown away for days afterwards. He'd been in the Navy in the 60's and 70's (as a nuclear submarine officer) and he said he'd never had such an experience -- back in those days they were advised not to wear a uniform off post to avoid verbal abuse. It just bowled him over, and I heard him re-tell the story to several people.

A simple, "Thankyou for your service" (from Americans of any age) is very moving to those in uniform. Nothing more needs to be said. I'm so glad that some guys from the 60's and 70's now get to experience the current climate of goodwill to those in uniform. They don't serve to receive any thanks or recognition -- but when it happens, it means more than you know.

[pbear8]

Thank you for your lovely post and welcome to FR!!

[Blueflag]

I know what you mean. For some reason it's hard to say "Hi and thanks!" without gettgin choked up. I saw several last week in ATL and Philly while travelling. They seem to appreciate the thx.

[HighWheeler]

Great first post. Welcome to FR.

[Capriole]

One of the most touching things I ever saw in my life is something that happened to my father, who won two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star in the Philippines.

Several years ago he was at a small legal proceding in the offices of a law firm, busily signing papers. In his eighties, he was a formal man, so he had worn a suit and had his tiny Silver Star decoration on his chest. Few people would have noticed it, much less recognized what it meant.

But one of the lawyers had been in the service, and he knew what that little star meant. Slowly he rose to his feet, drew himself to attention, and saluted a superior officer. He stood in front of all the other people in that office, all the other lawyers who thought this sort of thing was uncool, and held his salute.

My father was stunned, but in a moment he smiled and returned the salute. It meant the world to him to think that someone, if just one person, understood.