One day I was in the grocery store and an older man
wearing a t-shirt that read “ARMY” across the front stared at the dairy case
trying to find a particular brand of butter.
He looked at his list and back to the case. I picked up what I needed and started to put
it in my cart.
“I can’t seem to find anything in this store.”
I agreed, especially because they had just
“rearranged” the floor plan leaving their customers to wander in search of what
they needed. So I asked him what he was
looking for, he found it, and we went our separate ways.
A little while later, I found myself standing in the
checkout line behind him. I pointed to
his shirt and asked him if he served in the Army. He nodded and told me he’d just retired from
twenty some years in the service.
I stretched out my hand and said, “Thank you for your
service to our country.”
He looked at me as if I had bananas growing out of my
head. After a moment he shook my hand and said thank you.
Just before he walked away, he turned toward me and said.
“You know. In all my years in the Army,
I never had anyone thank me before.”
Now I was looking at him as if he had bananas growing
out of his head.
Really? That couldn’t be.
Tomorrow as we celebrate Armed Forces Day, reach out
and shake the hand of someone who has served…and say thank you. Their sacrifice is great. Their family’s sacrifice is just as big.
Thank you to all of you, men and women, who have
served, in the Army, Navy, Marines, Airforce, and National Guard at home or
abroad. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your service to our country, for
your sacrifice, and for your dedication to keeping our country safe.
Your turn: For all of you who read this, please pass
it on, retweet it, or share it on your FB timeline. Add a thank you to those
you know who have served. Let our guys and gals know they are appreciated!
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