I can’t, and won’t, speak for all veterans. This is strictly my opinion on this topic, and I am sure that not all veterans agree with me. I just felt that this needed to be said.

As I write this, it is November 11, 2022. Veteran’s Day. I am a veteran. I don’t consider myself as someone truly entitled to be called a veteran when I stand next to those who served in overseas wars or peacetime active duty soldiers and sailors, but I enlisted and eventually received an honorable discharge, so I am a veteran. I enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 1988, attended Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina from July 6, 1989-December 15, 1989. Yes, I remember the exact dates. After that, I served primarily with the 245th Engineer Battalion in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a Military Occupational Specialty of 63B – light wheeled-vehicle mechanic. While I did serve during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, my unit was one of the few from the South that was not called to active duty. While I would have gone with my unit to Kuwait or Iraq if we had gotten the call, we did not, so I did not serve overseas or in a combat theater. While I did serve on a classified mission during the Gulf War, that is really not germane to this article.

When people learn that I am a veteran, they often say, “Thank you for your service.” While the sentiment is appreciated, especially knowing how poorly soldiers have been treated in our country in the past, it always makes me feel awkward. Is the person saying it truly appreciative of the fact that I volunteered to serve our country and fight for our freedoms, or is it just a response that people think that they are supposed to say when they learn that you are a vet? Not to diminish the sentiment, but it sometimes feels like the equivalent of someone saying “bless you” when someone sneezes. Some people clearly mean it when they thank me, others just say it because they think that they are supposed to say it. Quite honestly, I don’t know how to respond when someone says this to me because they are thanking me for something that I did of my own volition. I have always been drawn to the military and expected no thanks from anyone when I enlisted because I simply wanted to serve. When someone thanks me for my service, I don’t respond with “you’re welcome” because I didn’t enlist as a favor to them.

I really do not mean to make light of the thanks that people give to veterans. It makes me proud to have served when people who truly respect my time in uniform give me thanks. It is the people whose words ring hollow when they say them that give me pause.

By the time people read this, Veteran’s Day 2022, will be in the past. If people truly want to thank us for our service, consider doing more than just saying so. Donate to a veteran’s organization or volunteer for one; encourage or engage in pro bono work for a veteran; consider a veteran for employment; anonymously buy a veteran’s lunch for them if you see them at a café; encourage your legislators to do more than pay lip service to us by encouraging them to pass legislation that supports the troops. You get the point.

Soldiers are not soldiers because we are the fastest and strongest—we are soldiers because we voluntarily stand between those who wish us harm and those that we love. If you wish to thank us, it is appreciated, but always consider that actions speak louder than words.