Thank You For Your Service

By Reg Doty

I go to the hardware store with Jenise so she can take advantage of my 10% veteran’s discount and the cashier always thanks me for my service. Because my legs are messed up, I try to park in the spot reserved for vets to be closer to the entrance and people sometimes thank me for my service. When I go to the VA hospital for health issues they always thank me for my service. A while back I got a stopped for not wearing my seat-belt. I let the Highway Patrol officer get a peek at my VA ID card. Well, she gave me a ticket anyway, but before she left thanked me for my service. I told her that when I was young, handsome, and smooth that I would have charmed my way out of the ticket. She said “Want to bet?” So, I just thanked her for her service and we both laughed.

Sometimes I forget that when someone thanks us for our service that it isn’t really for us, but for them: After all we were just doing our bit while they may have experienced some related guilt. Now with all the years gone by, I don’t think about it much anymore, especially with a first-hand account and more than enough to forget, with some left over.

I often think of The Wall though, and realize that the “Thank