Most of us chose safe
occupations. We sit at desks or stand on
shop floors or stride through stores.
Our biggest dangers include an angry boss, a traffic backup, or a missed
budget. To us, being a “veteran” of
something simply means we’ve been doing it for a long time. That we’re pretty experienced and, presumably,
pretty good at the task or role at hand.
For anyone who is serving or has
served in a branch of the military, and for anyone who has loved someone who
served, “veteran” has even greater value.
Despite the enormous
responsibilities they undertake and the morbidly high stakes they face, the
task of protecting our freedoms and our lives is carried out by relatively
few. Veterans make up only 7% of the
American population. Active members of
the military make up even less: less than 1% of the U.S. population, according
to the 2010 Census, as reported online by ABC News reporters Luis Martinez and
Amy Bingham in 2011.
Although Veteran’s Day is
officially over, we hope to always remember the men and women who voluntarily
work some of the hardest, most dangerous, most important jobs in America. To them, we say thank you.
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