Thank You For Your Service

I was at the World War II Memorial one day about six years ago, and an Honor Flight arrived. Honor Flights were originally set up to take World War II vets to their World War II memorial in Washington DC. The plan was that every veteran who COULD go would get to go, for free. And every Veteran would have a person to personally accompany them.

Do you know this all started with one guy named Earl? He thought of something, wanted to do it, and then actually did it. It started with 12 Vets in six private planes. Now it’s happening all over the country, and it has extended to Korean and Vietnam Veterans, as well.

I have been so fortunate to witness Honor Flights during my tours of Washington DC. I have never been with a group of Honor Flight Vets, but I have seen them many times at the World War II memorial, and numerous times at Arlington National Cemetery, where they lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as part of their day in DC.

Because of guys like this one.

It is a very moving experience for me, every single time. It’s also a wonderful time to teach students about respect, honor, and getting outside of oneself to thank someone else for something. We talk about going up to a Veteran and saying, “Thank you for your service.” And we talk about how maybe it seems embarrassing to say it right after someone else said it (Well, what ISN’T embarrassing to an 8^th grader?), but how it doesn’t matter to the Veteran – every single time and every single person is a gift to their heart, and a blessing to them. My personal hope is that it teaches them to thank others, but I also hope it teaches them to be brave. To do and say the right thing regardless of what your “Friends” are doing.  Let’s be honest: I have never seen a Veteran rebuff a kid for thanking them – whether at a Memorial or in the airport. Every Veteran I have ever seen has been gracious and thankful. So, what a great opportunity to teach kids to get outside of themselves for ten seconds – it’s a win-win situation. It teaches them to speak out, make eye contact and thank someone, and their efforts will be appreciated in return.

I will tell you it’s a pretty neat experience to have these kids come back to the bus and say, “Sohailah, I walked up to this guy and thanked him for his service and he shook my hand and started crying and saying, ‘Thank you, young man.’”  Or, “We didn’t see any Veterans when we were at the Memorial, but when we were at dinner we saw these two soldiers sitting at another table in the Food Court so we walked up and said, ’Thank you for your service’, and they shook our hands and said, ‘You’re welcome.’” And when I say, “ That’s really neat. How did it make you feel?”  They always say, “ I was scared at first, but I’m so glad I did it, because they were so nice.”

I have had a few students tell me how their parents taught them this, and that they’ve been doing it for quite a while. YEAY PARENTS! The interesting thing is that there are some commonalities amongst the kids who have told me this, over the years.

1)   They always take me aside and tell me privately. No need to brag.

2)    I’ve probably already noticed them on the trip – they seem to be “soaking it in” more than the average student on the trip – actually looking at the Memorials, reading what’s written, making eye contact with me when I’m telling them all my really cool stories.

3)   Their peers also generally like these students – they have a self-confidence that draws others to them.

These things typically tell me something about their parents.

1)   Their parents are actively involved in investing in their kids.

2)   Their parents look beyond the convenient, and strive to teach their children life lessons about caring for others.

3)   Their parents understand, for the most part, that their job is to raise decent, hard-working, competent citizens who make an honorable contribution to the world.

Is either group perfect? No. No one is perfect – but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. (As every Tomb Guard Sentinel you talk to at the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington National Cemetery will tell you, in reference to Line 6 of the Sentinel’s Creed). But they’re taking time to be with each other. The parent is actively investing in their child, and the child is hearing.

And that is our small contribution back to the Veterans who gave everything, literally everything, so that we could freely walk around and decide whether to take the time to thank them or not.