But more importantly, it's a country with millions of men and women who have risked everything, some whom have lost their lives, for my freedom. I still remember what it was like standing in front of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial last summer on my 20th birthday, staring at the seemingly never-ending wall of names, thinking "These people gave up their lives to save mine decades in the future." It's a haunting feeling. And that was just one war, and the people who died. There are countless men and women still serving, who have returned home and dealt with unimaginable consequences, and families who have lost loved ones, all for people they will never meet.
My mom's dad was a Marine Corps vet. He fought in Vietnam, and despite the fact that he died when I was 2, I have grown up hearing stories of what it was like when he was gone and when he came home. He and his fellow soldiers were spit on and treated like worthless scum. Soldiers and veterans today are treated better, but still not with the respect that they deserve. My thanks is all I have, and it's why I will not stop shaking the hand of any service member I see and telling them I appreciate them.
Our service members, and their families who make their own sacrifices, they are what is great about this country.
So today, I'm thankful to be an American.
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