My heart goes out to all the servicemen and women who risk their own lives to protect our freedom. Some of them pay the ultimate price so that we can all be safe on this side of the road. Military life is not easy at all. You must be a unique person to be a soldier. You must be generous, selfless, and willing to do the necessary work. There are no cutting corners here.
They are far away from their families most of the time, and they must adapt to the most difficult circumstances. One of my brothers served in the Army for 24 years. It was tough for all the family, especially my mother. She understood that he was being part of something much bigger, but she still missed him a lot. My brother would call anytime he could, and would always leave my mother a lot calmer after their conversation.
When he had some time off, he would go visit my mother and spend some time with her. The rest of his time, he would be devoted to his family. He did several tours in the Army including 3 in Iraq. When it was time for him to retire, he did it convinced that he had given the country his all and that he was ready to contribute in many other ways. After retiring, my brother got a job as a warehouse manager for a known boot manufacturer. The discipline he learned in his military life has helped him to better understand complex situations and come up with better solutions. You could say that he’s being successful there as well and doing very well for himself.
The problem is, that not all former servicemen and women have it made once they retire. Many of them have suffered due to cuts from the Government that has resulted in them not getting paid or getting paid much less than they used to. It is very sad when people who have put everything on the line for our country, can’t have enough money to pay for their basic needs.
One such story happened when 2 servicewomen decided to go out for lunch at their local restaurant. They started to check the menu for ‘light’ or inexpensive options. Their waitress thought it was sad that they were not able to afford a decent lunch after all they had gone through. She decided to pick up the tab for them. Instead of the check, she gave them a note letting them know how she felt and that the food was on her. The soldiers posted that on Facebook and it went viral. It even landed the waitress in Ellen, where she gets the surprise of a lifetime.
