Veterans Day

 “You are welcome.”

 We celebrated Veterans Day yesterday and enjoyed some free offerings from area businesses. We got “The Works” from Tommy’s Car Wash, a haircut coupon from Great Clips, wings and fries from Buffalo Wild Wings, and preferred parking and a 10% discount from Lowes. These gifts typically include the words “Thank you for your service.” To which I responded,

“You are welcome.”

I come from a family of vets. My father, Uncle Bill Braunius (survivor of the Normandy invasion), Uncle Norm Jonkman, and Uncle Bill Sharp served in World War II. My brother Roy and I were in the Naval Reserve and each on active duty for 2 years during the Vietnam era.

Our service was in response to a commitment as citizens of the United States. While I cannot speak for other family members, we can be proud of our service to this country. It is a place where we have freedom to acknowledge a history that proclaims, “We the people,” “In God we trust,” and “that all men (and women) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

This is not to say that I am proud of everything about our country. I lament slavery, racial discrimination, and the relocation of indigenous peoples. I grieve over the government’s position on abortion. And, I am frustrated by authoritarian political leaders who govern by deceit, lies, and manipulation.

Yet, “this land is your land, and this land is my land.” I thank God for our country and continue to consider it a privilege to have defended it. We are the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” While, not a perfect country, I think that we are better than most. There is no place where I would rather be. The freedoms that we enjoy are because of those who serve and have served. So, it is fitting that we express appreciation to our veterans, and when the words “Thank you for your service” come my way I say,

“You are welcome.”