Thanking our veterans

On Wednesday, November 11, Veterans’ Day, I kept thinking of what I could write in a blog post or tweet in 140 characters that would show my appreciation for the veterans.

My brother, father, grandfather, uncles, and father-in-law served in various wars. Never I have ever expressed to them or expressed to others my deep emotional appreciation for their serving our country.

Of course, sacrifices of others—spouses, children, and other significant others—are seldom recognized, as well. Birthdays, first steps, obtaining driving licenses, and the feel of warm arms at night are never made up. We all know the sacrifices that families make when spouses, dads, moms, siblings, and parents serve our country, but we seldom talk about these sacrifices.

Though Veterans’ Day has passed and today, Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US, my mind has been on the sacrifices our military members have made.

Today, in addition to being thankful for family, friends, and our plentiful bounty, I want to thank the Selfless Souls of our military.

Thank You Selfless Souls
by Susan Campbell

I'd just like to say "thank you"
To the thousands of selfless souls
Who serve in the US Armed Forces
And share a common goal.

You leave your family and your friends
To protect us and keep us "free."
You do this for your country.
You do this all for me.

I hope you know how proud we are
Of all that you will do
To keep our country safe and secure
We owe so much to you.

I pray for each of our soldiers
Wherever you may go.
You're making the ultimate sacrifice
For people you don't even know.

I ask God to bless your families
And hold you in his arms.
I pray that he will keep YOU safe,
Protect you and keep you from harm.

So, once again, I thank you
For your courage and your pride.
I feel safe and so VERY proud
To have you on my side.

God Bless our Military!
Susan Campbell
Saturday, November 7, 2009

The poem has a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please share it but give attribution to Susan Campbell and link to this post.