This blog was supposed to be about the rights that the LGBT community has been denied, and it was also supposed to be about my experiences as an American and how I’ve seen this country change… but I’m not going to do any of that. I’m not going to because I know it’s more important that I give thanks to the men and women that are allowed to protect our freedoms. It doesn’t matter which side of the great debate that you fall on, because those brave people deserve our appreciation regardless.

If everyone knew a soldier, we’d all be fighting just as hard to ensure that they receive the treatment that they deserve… they’re people that we can take great pride in, because of the selfless burdens they take on. We can’t truly understand what it feels like to be a soldier unless you are one, but we can empathize with them and their families. I’m filled with great pride for the men and women that serve so that I don’t have to… that serve because the government won’t let me. There are gay veterans too, and the LGBT community should highlight them and their accomplishments more often so that the country doesn’t forget that gays and lesbians would fight and die for this country just as hard as any straight person would.

I took the time to thank a soldier the other day and tell him how grateful I was for what he did, because I feel like they give up the most and receive the least; he stopped dead in his tracks as he was passing me by, and just looked at me with a blank look on his face… then he told me that no one other than his immediate family had ever thanked him like that. It’s really sad to hear that our veterans can’t even get the praise they deserve from the citizens they protect… we can do more and it’s easy. Now I haven’t taken the time to volunteer at the VA, but I’ve given my time to write letters to soldiers in Iraq before, and it’s something small that everyone could do. Use this link to do it yourself;  http://www.letterstosoldiers.org/formletter.html

I thank them for what they’ve done, what they’re doing, and for what they’ll continue to do for me and our country… it may not be perfect, but it’s worth fighting for.

God bless America.