Thank you

I just read an article on ESPN. I'll paste the link in here at some point so anyone that reads this post can read it. By reading this sentence you have entered into a contract to read the article.

The article is about a national guardsman from North Carolina who emailed an ESPN personality to say thank you. He said thank you to a guy who writes a fishing column! This guy is in Afghanistan or Iraq risking his life for his second tour and he is thanking a guy who writes a fishing column!?!

Read the article. I teared up a bit. I have no idea why but I think I am getting old.

The thank you from this young man shows how every thing we do here at home affects those fighting for our freedom over seas. Don't think that they don't see some hippie demonstrating against them. Don't think they don't notice that people have stopped shaking their hands when they get home.

On Veteran's Day this year my employer (CIGNA Healthcare) did nothing to honor the veterans. I have sent a million emails trying to find out why. I guess the people who make those decisions were to busy counting their millions or deciding how we were going to help out the gay and lesbian coalition or whatever they call themselves now.

The service men and women notice these things. They've asked me about it. If you know a service man or woman please look them in the eye and shake their hand. It will mean more to them than you will ever know.

On Veteran's Day this year I called my Dad and just talked to him. He asked why I was calling. I said "It's Veteran's Day." There was a silence and we went about our conversation. At the end of the call he stopped me before we disconnected and he just said, "Thank You". Nothing more, nothing less. We both understood.

Again, a serviceman saying thank you to someone who owes them all the gratitude in the world.

Crazy, isn't it?

Here's that link for the article(I almost forgot)
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/columns/story?columnist=barone_don&id=4750985