Thank You, America

Thank you, America, for not forgetting my Brothers and Sisters who sit in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany, Japan, on the border of Mexico, or anywhere else they are called upon to go.
Thank you, America, for not forgetting my Brothers and Sisters who were called to duty, never to return.
Thank you, America, for being the place where I can listen to conversations going on around me in German, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, English and nearly any other dialect or language imaginable, and nobody is jailed or killed for it.
Thank you, America, for being the place where, while we may not always get it right, plenty of us are learning exactly how good we have it, and trying to do better for our children and grandchildren.
Thank you, America, for being the country who does not look down on those who serve, as we once did, and for saying thank you, offering to buy a drink, pay for a meal, or any other way you choose to show your appreciation for our efforts.
Thank you, America, for volunteering enough for the military that we have no need for a draft, that we have no mandatory 2 years of military service as many countries do, and for supporting our all-volunteer military.
Thank you, America, for being the place I wept with joy to return home to after 2 years in South Korea, and for thanking me for my service when I did.
I am proud to be alive in a time like this, when so much of the world is advancing in such huge ways, but I am especially proud to be a member of the U.S. Army, the greatest fighting force in the world, and to be a true-in-the-blood American.

A waitress at the Mexican restaurant that Dad and I went to for lunch today ran out and hugged me as I waited on the porch for him. She hugged me- a true hug- and thanked me for serving our country. Here was this skinny, 37-ish biker chick hugging this 24 year old Soldier on the front porch of a random Mexican restaurant in New Mexico. I have never in my life been prouder.

Thank all of you who haven't forgotten.

Rest In Peace, SPC Jesse Zamora, of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Rest In Peace, PFC Bryant Haynes, of Epps, Louisiana
Rest In Peace, All of my Brothers and Sisters who haven't come back.
You are not forgotten!