Dear Soldiers - Thank you.

Thank you to all the veterans out there who sacrificed time with their families, higher paying jobs than what the military paid, blood, sweat, tears, restful nights, peaceful dreams, comfort, an easy lifestyle, and too many other things to count...for the job of protecting us...of protecting everyone. You stood and stand for all that is good and right in this country, doing your duty without complaint.

You have done a good job, and you do us proud by standing for us.

We have not...and cannot...earn the gifts you've given us or the sacrifices you've made for us and so many others. They are beyond price and their value is without description. It's not just freedom that you've given us, but the things that naturally come with it. Family barbecues, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, the national parks, and millions of other tiny things that aren't specifically thought of every day, but enjoyed by all of us nonetheless.

Without you, billions of people would be under the thumb of dictators. Because of you, billions of people know hope and joy every day.

It is today that I say thank you for that. I know it's not enough, but nothing ever would be.

-Bartleby