1. Travis Perry says:

    I enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1989 to help pay for college. In less than two years I was serving in a hospital unit in the United Arab Emirates during the Gulf War. In 2004 I became an officer, then as artillery, now in the specialty of Civil Affairs. My military service has as of now involved a total of six deployments, taking me during armed conflict to Iraq and Afghanistan and under more peaceful circumstances to around 30 other countries, including nations in Europe, East Africa, Central Asia, and Central America (with a few outliers like Chile and Togo). Not to mention that there have been around a dozen US states and territories, to include Puerto Rico, that the only reason I went there was because of military training.

    My military training and experiences have given me a great deal of opportunity to see and do things I would otherwise never have done. Yet those benefits did not come without some steep personal costs.

    I feel strange about being thanked for my service. At certain moments I’ve appreciated it very much, but at other times it feels awkward–after all, my service had to do with me and my family more than service to the country. Though I did care about serving the county.

    But anyway, on behalf of all veterans: You’re welcome.

What do you think?