In his column today, William Kristol writes in Remember to Remember:
One retired general I know urges civilians to go out of their way to say thank you to servicemen and women they happen to encounter. At first I thought such a gesture might be intrusive, or awkward, or unwelcome. I was wrong. When civilians walk over to express appreciation to men and women in uniform, in airports or restaurants or the like, the recipients seem a little embarrassed — but grateful. So perhaps we all should be less shy about thanking our troops for their service.The men and women in the military know their fellow citizens are grateful to them. Many of them say, though, that they’re not confident their countrymen are aware of what they’re accomplishing.
Airports?
How about this?
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
I think the only appropriate comment here (besides thank you) is: God bless America.
I returned to the US in April, 1970 after two years out of the country. When I left our base, we were med evacuating a woman who was bleeding to death. Twenty four hours later, I had not yet slept. At midnight, I would become a civilian.
A flight attendant had only been on the job for six months and we learned she and I knew people in common. We chatted so long she moved me to first class so we could visit in her off time.
I told about some of my adventures and she shared stories about her travels. When the trip ended, the flight attendant gave me a Disneyland balloon and wished me luck. Someone behind me began to clap, and then another did. Before long all of the passengers gave me a standing ovation.
It stunned me. I never got over it, especially given the treatment many people gave returning Vietnam era veterans. Ten years later, I thought of the flight attendant decided to find and thank her.
In 2004, I found someone who knew her. Sadly, she died of cancer in 1977, but I will never forget what she and the passengers on that airliner did.