Today on Veteran’s Day I want to share this post, an oldie but one that has been going around for about two years. I believe it was written by Kyle McClelland and describes what many of us who’ve served in uniform feel today.

To understand a Military Veteran you must know:

  • We left home as teenagers or in our early twenties for an unknown adventure.
  • We loved our country enough to defend it and protect it with our own lives.
  • We said goodbye to friends and family and everything we knew.
  • We learned the basics and then we scattered in the wind to the far corners of the Earth.
  • We found new friends and new family.
  • We became brothers and sisters regardless of colour, race or creed.
  • We had plenty of good times, and plenty of bad times.
  • We didn’t get enough sleep.
  • We smoked and drank too much.
  • We picked up both good and bad habits.
  • We worked hard and played harder.
  • We didn’t earn a great wage.
  • We experienced the happiness of mail call and the sadness of missing important events.
  • We didn’t know when, or even if, we were ever going to see home again.
  • We grew up fast, and yet somehow, we never grew up at all.
  • We fought for our freedom, as well as the freedom of others.
  • Some of us saw actual combat, and some of us didn’t.
  • Some of us saw the world, and some of us didn’t.
  • Some of us dealt with physical warfare, most of us dealt with psychological warfare.
  • We have seen and experienced and dealt with things that we can’t fully describe or explain, as not all of our sacrifices were physical.
  • We participated in time honored ceremonies and rituals with each other, strengthening our bonds and camaraderie.
  • We counted on each other to get our job done and sometimes to survive it at all.
  • We have dealt with victory and tragedy.
  • We have celebrated and mourned.
  • We lost a few along the way.
  • When our adventure was over, some of us went back home, some of us started somewhere new and some of us never came home at all.
  • We have told amazing and hilarious stories of our exploits and adventures.
  • We share an unspoken bond with each other, that most people don’t experience, and few will understand.
  • We speak highly of our own branch of service, and poke fun at the other branches.
  • We know however, that, if needed, we will be there for our brothers and sisters and stand together as one, in a heartbeat.
  • Being a Veteran is something that had to be earned, and it can never be taken away.
  • It has no monetary value, but at the same time it is a priceless gift.

David Molina is an American entrepreneur, founder, and blogger. A son of Mexican immigrants, a former farm worker and high school drop-out, he went on to be the first in his family to attend and graduate from a university and earn an Officer Commission in Infantry. Molina has been a founder, co-founder and launched a wide range of companies and organizations including a veterans nonprofit, featured in multiple news outlets including The Bend Bulletin, Portland Business Journal, Univision KUNP-TV, Humans of Tech, and The Seattle Times.