How to THANK Veterans for their Military Service

For veterans and service members, receiving thanks on Veterans Day, or on any day for that matter, can elicit a wide range of emotions or reactions. Some may respond with a genuine smile, others may give an awkward and humble nod. The reasons for why are as varied as the reactions and as diverse as the veterans being thanked, which raises an important question: On Veterans Day, how do we honor the men and women who have taken this oath and served our country and the American people?

Task & Purpose posed this question to our network of contributors, specifically asking, How should people thank you for your service? Here’s what they said.

“It can be frustrating to be thanked for my military service for a few reasons, but often it’s because there’s no easy, conversational response. Normally when someone says, ‘Thanks for XYZ,’ I can just say, ‘You’re welcome.’ But in this case that sort of rings flat. If people could just find a way to make it easier and more conversational to respond when they thank a veteran for their service, that would be pretty awesome.” —Kevin Bell, U.S. Army veteran

“Listen when I share my stories and ask questions. Don’t be afraid to offend, veterans aren’t shrinking violets. We’re pretty hardcore. And if you want to buy me a beer, I wouldn’t turn that down.” —Stephanie Christopher, U.S. Army veteran

Read the Remainder at Task and Purpose