Dear Vietnam Veteran,

I want to start off this letter by saying: welcome home! I know that your welcome home was not pleasant, with friends and family turned against you. I could not imagine the feeling of sorrow and agony you must of felt after you came home. Thank you for your service.  

My name is Ashley. I’m currently a senior in high school. College is inching closer and I am certain that I will pursue a job in the healthcare field. As I am currently a certified nursing assistant at an assisted living facility, and I know that caring and helping people is my passion in the future. And your passion to the United States is unbelievable and can not be thanked enough.

It’s crazy to believe that when you were 18 years old you were being deployed, while I’m 17 years old and counting down the days till high school is over and I can leave for college, beginning my future lifestyle. The courage and bravery you had at such a young age is something we lack in now as a country, and can not ever be replaced.

I am beyond grateful for you and your service that you gave to the United States. Sacrificing everything you could’ve had is something many people wouldn’t do today, but you decided to! You are a role model. You have shown fellow Americans what hard work, dedication, and gratitude truly means. People surrounding you may not always say ‘thank you’, but it scatters through our minds when we see you. A ‘thank you’ is not enough for all that you did, words cannot describe how truly proud of you we are.

I don’t feel as you receive this enough, but thank you again for your sacrifices and service! God bless you and your family.

With Love,

Ashley