WILKES-BARRE — A thank you is all they want.
Veterans, that is.
Veterans/heroes are everywhere — some live on your street, some may live next door.
They go about their daily business without seeking to be noticed.
They are all members of the same club.
They are men and women.
They are all brave.
They are America’s veterans.
As we pause to remember and honor all veterans of all wars, we also honor those, especially, who gave their lives for all of us.
We should also always take time to remember, honor and thank those who still walk among us — America’s heroes.
But this should not just be an annual observance on one day — every day should be Veterans Day.
When we see a veteran, we should smile, thank them, shake their hand. When a veteran speaks, we should listen.
Those veterans who survived their time in battle still wear the scars of war — some scars you can see — a missing limb, an altered gait — other scars are hidden as they struggle with the experiences of battle.
Those of us who have never worn a military uniform can never truly understand. We can only offer our deepest gratitude every day.
I grew up with a veteran. My Dad, William O’Boyle, was a young man when he went off to war in the early 1940s. He was known for being a good athlete, an accomplished swimmer and roller skating champ. He loved to play baseball, football and basketball.
He returned home without his right leg. The story he told me was he ran onto a beach in northern France and stepped on a land mine. He went one way, his leg went the other.
He woke up in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and was told his right leg was gone. He was taken to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he recovered.
He returned home to his family and friends. He never felt sorry for himself. Like all veterans, my dad accepted what had happened and went about his life.
He got a job that he worked for 30 years. He got involved in the community. He and his friend co-founded the Plymouth Little League. He married and had a son — me.
He made a life for us. He attended every game I ever played in and he always offered good advice.
When my mother died in May of 1968, just a month before my high school graduation, Dad was always there as I navigated through my early life.
He was not unlike most veterans I have known. These are men and women who proudly served their country and never once questioned why. They did their jobs and they accepted the consequences.
And collectively, through 12 wars in our history, they preserved our freedom.
We should always attend those ceremonies that honor veterans. But don’t stop there. Keep all veterans in your minds and in your hearts. Remember and respect what each has done.
Like I said, they are all heroes who walk our streets, our shopping malls and our health care facilities.
Really, where would we all be if it weren’t for veterans?
We sure wouldn’t be living in a free country where we can speak freely, worship freely and always feel safe.
In battle after bloody battle, our side won. Our freedoms were preserved. So many lives were lost, yet more came to battle.
Veterans are special people, indeed. Patriotism is in their blood, Loyalty to country is part of their DNA. Call it courage, bravery, commitment — they all had it and they accepted the task at hand.
How else can you explain all those GIs on those landing boats on D-Day? Standing there, weapons in hand, waiting for the gate to open to charge the beach and run to meet a waiting enemy. They all knew that many of them would never return to their homes and families and friends and communities. Yet they ran to meet the enemy.
It’s chilling to try to put yourself in their shoes. Young soldiers — 18, 19, 20 years old — charged with the responsibility of fighting for our freedoms. They must win, they must fight, they must, in so many cases, die on those battlefields.
Never a doubt. Never a question. Never a disobeyed order. Soldiers fought. Soldiers died. Victories were won. Freedoms preserved.
We can’t ever thank them enough.
So to honor veterans with a parade or a handshake and a thank you is the least we can do. To stand along the parade route, holding an American flag is a symbol — a message — to all veterans that we love them, we respect them and we thank them for all they have done for us.
And they would do it again and again — for us.
That’s why I’m always on the roadside watching those proud veterans go by. I wave and I feel proud. And every veteran I encounter, I thank each and shake their hand.
Celebrate our veterans every day.