Dear Veteran,

I wanted to say thank you for your sacrifice. I am writing to you because I was inspired by watching the honor flight movie. The way our country takes care of veterans like you is shameful, so I believe it’s great that you and your fellow veterans can be recognized in such a cool way. My name is Alex and I’m a 17 year old junior. My father was a marine and I’ve always wanted to say thank you to veterans more than just thanking him, so this was a perfect opportunity to do so. Military service is something that many overlook and treat as a regular job, when it in fact isn’t. Every soldier and veteran I know has been permanently changed by their time in the service. My father has grown my respect and overall thankfulness for veterans. It’s terrible what you have gone through and you have made sacrifices I couldn’t ever imagine in the name of our country.

At the age of 17, I couldn’t start to think of going to fight for my country when at this point I can barely make a frozen pizza. 18 is an age that kids shouldn’t be exposed to the horrors of war and the complete ignorance of the general public towards the sacrifices soldiers make. It is confusing to me and even shocking that in seven months I could randomly be drafted into a war I didn’t know anything about until a week or so before I’m overseas. Even though I don’t know you and my opinion may not be impactful on your experiences, I want you to know that your experiences and time at war are validated by me as well as the millions of other Americans who have family members and friends in the service. Thank you for your service, and welcome home.