I served because I chose to. If you want to thank me, do right by my colleagues. Don't vote for plastic patriots.
Veterans are men and women, citizens, just like you. We serve for a thousand reasons, some noble, some personal, some out of necessity, most more complex than any of those. We love parts of our jobs, and we hate parts.
But it needs to be hard.
And I pray my countrymen remember we are their neighbors