Newspapers In Education
Veteran appreciation
By Torey Levesque
Eighth-grader at Presque Isle Middle School
Throughout the years as a country, we have fought several wars. Men and women armed up, and left their home to fight for the country they loved. The soldiers sacrificed themselves for America, and that earns a lot of respect. Many people don’t give them the respect they earn, because they don’t understand what a veteran is. Other people know what they are, but don’t know what they did for our country. Many people don’t understand what they are, and what they did. But when duty served, these people didn’t know what they were getting into, but in the end, they appreciated what they did, and you should too.
A veteran is described as “Any, Any, Any.” What this means is “A military veteran is Any person who served for Any length of time in Any military service branch (americanwarlibrary.com).” Many people may not have shot a gun, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t a veteran. Many people did different types of work in the service, but in the end, it helped protect America. These veterans are the true heroes to us, and we should acknowledge them more. So, whenever you see a veteran, thank them because you don’t know what that might mean to them.
These veterans did many things for America. One thing they did was protect us. They protected our rights, our country, and us. They risked their life for us, which most people don’t understand. These soldiers also fought after we were attacked on home turf. For instance, after the 9/11 attacks, we sent soldiers to find out who did this to us. In the end of that, they must’ve felt good about themselves, and what they did. These soldiers also made our country a better place to live. They gave Americans better self esteem, because we saw what they did. We saw our country as the strongest country in the world.
It shows a lot when there is a holiday named after someone. Every year, on November 11, people across the nation celebrate Veterans Day. Thanks to these veterans, we can live in a country that is protected. Whenever you see a veteran, remember what they did for us and why. You never know, that could be you some day.
