Thread by @pptsapper

Giving a talk on Veterans Day to a local high school assembly

Was sort of at a loss for words as I thought about what to say.

Decided to focus on the theme of service. Not just military. Thinking about the service that comes after people get out: teachers, first responders, etc

Military service is not the end all and be all of most of our lives. It's a defining moment, sure, but it's often merely a chapter heading

So, do we continue to serve? Or do we request that society serve us, by giving us the sobriquet of "true patriots"

I would argue that no, veterans should be against this very idea of the military being held up as a special separate class precisely because we served to protect those ideas that all are created equal, that all have a chance to succeed; that all have value.

But I'm just an idealist, what do I know

A cynical idealist, but an idealist all the same

I believe in the promise of the United States - who we should be

I believe in the idea of the US Army - what it could be

I believe we all have a duty to be kind & to serve

Service comes in a multitude of forms. We all have to find out own calling. One is not necessarily superior to another.

Veterans Day is a day to celebrate ordinary Americans, some of whom have done extraordinary things. But at the heart of it all is the idea of service.