[COLOR=#454545]Veterans
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[COLOR=#454545]To understand a Military Veteran you must know:
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[COLOR=#454545]We left home as teenagers or in our early twenties for an unknown adventure.
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[COLOR=#454545]We loved our country enough to defend it and protect it with our own lives.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#454545]We said goodbye to friends and family and everything we knew.
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[COLOR=#454545]We learned the basics and then we scattered in the wind to the far corners of the Earth.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#454545]We found new friends and new family.
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[COLOR=#454545]We became brothers and sisters regardless of color, race or creed.
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[COLOR=#454545]We had plenty of good times, and plenty of bad times.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#454545]We didn’t get enough sleep.
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[COLOR=#454545]We smoked and drank too much.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#454545]We picked up both good and bad habits.
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[COLOR=#454545]We worked hard and played harder.
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[COLOR=#454545]We didn’t earn a great wage.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#454545]We experienced the happiness of mail call and the sadness of missing important events back home.
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[COLOR=#454545]We didn’t know when, or even if, we were ever going to see home again.
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[COLOR=#454545]We grew up fast, and yet somehow, we never grew up at all.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#454545]Our primary mission was to defend American freedoms we hold so dear.
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[COLOR=#454545]Some of us saw actual combat, and some of us didn’t.
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[COLOR=#454545]Some of us saw the world, and some of us didn’t.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#454545]Some of us dealt with physical warfare. Many of us dealt with psychological warfare.
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[COLOR=#454545]We have seen and experienced and dealt with things that we can’t fully describe or explain, as not all of our sacrifices were physical.
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[COLOR=#454545]We participated in time honored ceremonies and rituals with each other, strengthening our bonds and camaraderie.
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[COLOR=#454545]We counted on each other to get our job done and sometimes just to survive.
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[COLOR=#454545]We have dealt with victory and tragedy.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#454545]We have celebrated and mourned.
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[COLOR=#454545]We lost a few along the way.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#454545]When our adventure was over, some of us went back home, some of us started somewhere new, and some of us never came home at all.
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[COLOR=#454545]We have told amazing and hilarious stories of our exploits and adventures.
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[COLOR=#454545]We share an unspoken bond with each other, that most people don’t experience, and few will understand.
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[COLOR=#454545]We speak highly of our own branch of service, and poke fun at the other branches.
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[COLOR=#454545]We know however, that if needed, we will be there for our brothers and sisters and stand together as one in a heartbeat.
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[COLOR=#454545]Being a Veteran is something that had to be earned, and it can never be taken away.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#454545]It has no monetary value, but at the same time it is a priceless gift.
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[COLOR=#454545]People see a Veteran and they thank them for their service.
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[COLOR=#454545]When we see each other, we give that little upwards head nod, or a slight smile, knowing that we have shared and experienced things that most people have not.
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[COLOR=#454545]So, from myself to the rest of the veterans out there, I commend and thank you for all that you have done and sacrificed for your country.
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[COLOR=#454545]Try to remember the good times and make peace with the bad times.
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[COLOR=#454545]Share your stories.
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[COLOR=#454545]But most importantly, stand tall and proud, for you have earned the right to be called a Veteran.
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