Thank You for Your Service

billw1032's Avatar
It seems like it has become a trend in recent times to say "Thank you for your service." We hear it a lot, especially in interviews on TV. In fact, it's become so common that I began to wonder if it wasn't a kind of trite expression with no real meaning. After all, no one ever said it to me... until today.

I happened to be at a doctor's office being checked out by the doctor's PA. At one point I made an off-hand comment about how flight physicals were when I was in the Air Force. He asked me a bit about what I did in the Air Force, and then at the end he said "Thank you for your service". It kind of caught me off guard, and touched me a lot more than I expected. In fact, it's hard not to get a few tears as I write about this seemingly small experience today.

So, to all of my fellow veterans on the board, let me say with all the sincerity I can muster, "Thank you for your service." And to those of you who know veterans I urge you to take just a few seconds to let them know they are appreciated. It means more than you think.
Chung Tran's Avatar
the guy that started the trend of thanking Vets for their service was Bill Clinton, beginning when he poured accolades on outgoing President George H Bush during his Inauguration. was it sincere? hard to say, but Clinton was (is) despised by many Vets for his policies and personal history of dodging service.