It’s Veteran’s Day, and we here at WYRK would like to thank everyone who has served and is currently serving in our United States Military. I would like to take a couple seconds to stop and say thank you to one veteran in particular. He’s my favorite veteran. He’s my dad.

I never really got to talk to my dad much about his time with the U.S. Army. He served in Vietnam and, like many Vietnam vets, saw some pretty nasty stuff during his time. It wasn’t something that he would reminisce about. So we didn’t bring it up.

It wasn’t something that we didn’t recognize though. My dad had a pretty big scar on his leg. So of course, as kids do, we asked, “Where did that come from, Dad?” If you’ve ever seen a movie about Vietnam, chances are you’ve seen a scene with a helicopter that drops soldiers in the jungle. There is always a soldier manning a huge gun at the side of that helicopter. That is what my dad did. He was the guy that covered the soldiers as they left the chopper and headed off into the jungle. I’ve always thought that he was pretty awesome for that.

So where did the scar come from? During one of his missions, they came under some heavy fire and a rocket exploded not far from their chopper. It lodged into his leg. In my opinion, he lucked out. It could have been a whole lot worse. I’m grateful that it was only his leg.

I’m grateful for his service and have always been proud of him. He passed away in 2008. I miss him now. I can’t tell him how proud I am of him anymore. So this is my way of honoring him.

If you have a veteran in your life, please take the time this weekend to say thank you to them for the freedoms that they have ensured for us. Even if they aren’t in your family, make sure to tell them thank you.

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