The words: “Thank you.”
Three times in the last two weeks I’ve been “thanked for my service” for volunteering to go to Iraq on a research assignment for the Department of Defense. This from people who are nearly strangers – a waitress at a restaurant I eat at regularly; a nurse at my doctor’s office; and a business executive at my daughter’s office. In all three cases, the “thank you” was spontaneous and genuine.
The observations.
One, I can’t imagine how meaningful the words must be to a soldier, sailor, marine, or airman who is going over, gotten back, or otherwise serving our country. I’m a civilian – contractor, not government employee – going to a location that can’t possibly be much more dangerous than my daily commute to work, and I left each encounter with a lighter heart and greater respect for my fellow Americans.
Two, try it yourself when you see someone in the military. I know they’ll appreciate it, and I suspect you’ll walk away feeling a little brighter as well.
Third, from a political perspective, I have to wonder if the Democrats and other anti-war types are overestimating the anti-war sentiment in real America. My sample space is trivially small, but these folks’ “thank-you’s” were genuine. I can’t possibly know their political leanings, but my strong sense in every case was that whether they thought the US should have gone to Iraq in the first place, they were committed to staying until the job is done.
If I’m right, the 2006 elections will be interesting indeed.
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