Every year, on the anniversary of the World War 1 armistice, we as a nation take a day to celebrate veterans that have served in our Armed Forces. This is done in the form of discounted or free meals, school assemblies, and a “thank you for your service”. While I appreciate the effort that many put in to make sure this is special each year, I still believe that it doesn’t quite hit the nail on the head.

I do not know of one person that decided to join the military for any one of those benefits, albeit very appreciated. The main reason why so many raised their right hand, was to keep actions and ideologies that are harmful to our country and our citizens from being able to come into our homes. Whether it was the fascist Nazis, the Communists, or the extremists of the Middle East, so many men and women have believed our country is so precious that they decided it was worth putting their lives on hold and do their part to ensure the people that wanted our way of life to end, not have the opportunity to do so.

So how do we thank someone who did this? In my personal opinion, the best way to thank a veteran is to show them the value of their service. Find a way to show that the time spent in service wasn’t for nothing: be the best American you can be. It really is that simple. Without a nation of fantastic citizens that truly believe in the Land of the Free, there isn’t a nation worth defending and this means that anyone that has served, been injured, or died in the process, truly had no value or reason to do so.

Business owners, neighbors, family members, politicians, and actors have been roles taken up by people after their service. They are people just like the other 99% of America. The only difference is that they put their lives on pause, some temporarily and some permanently. Talk to a veteran and find out why they served and what they learned during the process. No one walks away from the military untouched and there are lessons to be learned by all. We are truly a great nation, not perfect, that is made up of great people, and a very small group of citizens did what they could to make sure the people that don’t want America to exist, don’t get to succeed in their mission. I love this country and I love all of you: veterans will forever be thankful for their service so long as we remember who we are as Americans; free.