As our nation celebrates Veterans Day, my fellow veterans and I will no doubt hear multiple times “Thank you for your service” in brief conversations and in the form of a free cup of coffee or 20 percent off a meal. These well-meaning expressions of gratitude sometimes make us feel awkward and unsure of how to respond. “You’re welcome” seems too short, yet “Ah shucks, I was just doing what anyone would” seems a bit much. 

Despite the slight twinge of self-consciousness, we are of course deeply grateful for the recognition and thanks. In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, some of those who served were inexcusably castigated for fulfilling their service obligation to our country, and many of those veterans still carry the wounds inflicted on them once home. It is a gift that my generation of veterans – who served in the two decades of conflict that followed 9/11 – served during a time in America when those around us took and continue to take seriously this nation’s solemn obligation, as Abraham Lincoln stated, “To care for him (and now her) who have borne the battle.”