Back in 1997, I was just 17 years old and I was in Europe on a trip following graduation. I saved up for it and didn’t know what to expect except to be across the Atlantic away from my parents. Looking back at it, this trip gave me one of those experiences that changed me forever.

About halfway through my trip, I’d made my way from Paris to Normandy. One of the sites that we stopped off at was Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial (http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/no.php). Just over 50 years prior to my visit, this place was the site of one of the most pivotal battles during World War II-the Normandy invasion, which opened up Europe and contributed to Allied victory. Even more so, it was the site where a tremendous number of our young soldiers gave their lives for our freedom.

Now imagine a 17 year old visiting this site and being among its sea of immaculately laid out tombstones, its blanket of green grass and feeling a soothing salty breeze. It truly was something to admire. What hit me more than the beauty that I experienced was what our tour guide told us. She told us that many of our soldiers were right around my age. Now for a carefree teenager to hear that the people buried just under his feet were not much older than him brings him closer to reality than almost nothing else.

Since that summer day that seems like it was just yesterday, I remember our veterans. No matter what my views are on how just a war or “conflict” might be, I recognize just how much they give up for us. I even make it a point of just saying thank you. A few years ago when I was in a customer service job, I had a veteran at my counter on either Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day. When I saw that he was a veteran, I did the simple thing of saying thank you. He told me, “Nobody’s ever said that to me.” So when you come across a veteran, remember to tell them thank you.

Author: Jose A. Rodríguez