Vietnam Veteran,

The first thing I want to say is, welcome home. I’ve heard about how disrespectful people were on your initial return, it was heartbreaking to hear. I’ve donated money towards the Honor Flight before and watched the Honor Flight movie and I believe flying you out to see your memorials is important, especially after the way you were treated when you returned. I donated the money because of Veterans in my family that never got a chance to see the memorials. I can’t even imagine how that must’ve felt for you, seeing all those memorials in the honor of you and your fellow veterans.

My name is Martha. I’m a 16 year old Junior in high school. I’ve been thinking about joining the military. If I were to, I would want to be a linguist because I love learning and speaking foreign languages. My other plan was going off to college to go into psychology. My great grandfather was a Korean war veteran. He never spoke much about the war, he focused more on hunting and fishing. He passed away in 2007 and a regret I’ve had is never asking him about his experiences. My great uncle was a Vietnam Veteran as well, I never had the privilege of meeting him. I can’t imagine how hard it must’ve been for you to come home to strangers and loved ones disrespecting you the way they did. Welcome home.

I’m thankful for Veterans everyday. As I think about the world today, I realize that without everything you and the others did, this world we know today wouldn’t be the same. I am thankful for all you did and if you would like to share your experiences with me you are more than welcome to. All the courageous men and women who fought in a battle for this country or even just served in the military as a non-combat troops, have my undying respect. I feel like saying “thank you for your service” isn’t enough. As a country, we are deeply indebted to you. Your experiences helped shape this country into what it is today. I cannot show enough gratitude. Thank you for everything and welcome home!

Sincerely,
Martha K.