Thanking our veterans for their whole-life commitment …

Most of us alive in America today don’t know this country without the pervasive impact of the rise of the service industry.

Most of us have never HAD to build our own homes, make our own clothes, and grow, raise, or hunt for our own food. Nearly all of the things we both need and want in life are supplied to us from a manufacturer, a distributor, a store or merchant of some sort. And with the advent of the internet, we can browse, click, and have our purchases delivered to our homes in a matter of hours.

The service industry has changed how we live.

Not just in our purchasing habits. We pay someone to cut our hair, cut our lawns, clean our houses, wash our cars, do our laundry, invest and manage our money, supply our utilities and phones, and to provide a vast array of other services that make life radically more comfortable than it was a century ago.

But when it comes to “service industries,” there are just a few areas in which people go beyond providing a service as a job from which they profit from to where they actually serve our nation with a whole-life commitment. Serving as police officers, fire fighters, and ministers are a few ways people make a commitment of their lives to others. But of all the ways someone could go beyond “service” to “serving,” serving in the armed forces of the United States is one of the greatest whole-life commitments a person can make.

Think about it, a soldier, sailor, airman, marine, or coast guardsman doesn’t just clock in for eight hours of “work,” provide a service for us, then clock out; their commitment is one they make of their whole lives, as initially demonstrated when they first enter the military.

What are some of the things you’ve been supplied with when starting a new job?

A uniform?

Cell phone?

Cubicle or office?

Laptop computer?

Company car?

Business cards?

Tools, equipment, or supplies?

One of the most unique items issued to a new employee must go to American military personnel. When a person enlists in the military, part of their new gear includes “dog tags,” that small piece of metal with your personal identification stamped on it worn on a chain around the neck.

Military personnel are issued dog tags in anticipation they may give their lives in the carrying out of their new duties; the dog tags might be needed to identify the person who gave their life.

Have you ever started something with the anticipation that you may give your life doing it? Every member of the American military does.

It’s a whole-life commitment.

For serving us with such a whole-life commitment, our veterans are worthy of our honor, our respect, and our full support. We pause today to honor and show our respect to all of our veterans. Thank you for serving our nation with your whole life.

Scotty