Thank you for your service and sacrifices. We are all able to still enjoy freedom because of you. – Heather Chachere
As an Army veteran–and the son, nephew and cousin of three World War II Marines–thank you for your service and sacrifice. You are appreciated, and you are remembered. My and my family’s undying thanks, and with the greatest respect. - Jack H McCall
To America’s Veterans: General Pershing said it best: “Time will not dim the glory of their deeds.” Thank you for your service and sacrifice to our nation. Your deeds and your service will never be forgotten. - Allison Finkelstein
I am so grateful for the freedoms I have and for the wonderful, brave men and women who defended our rights. – Judy Williams
Veterans Day is this Sunday. Here are more of the heartfelt thank yous we have collected for our vets via www.mymemorialday.org. Add yours today.
Thank you for your service to our country and for fighting for all the freedoms we hold dear. God bless you and the USA! – Robin Anderson
To ALL of our Vets past, present & future, and to your families, and to ALL those who made the supreme sacrifice, and to their families, my most heartfelt THANK YOU for your service and your sacrifices !!! – Jimmy Skiba
Thank you to all the Veterans that made my freedom possible. Those before I served, during my service, all those still serving and those that are yet to serve. Thank You. – MGySgt Wilson, Retired
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our veterans, and our current military members for their service to our country and personal sacrifices. I deeply appreciate all that you have done for me personally, as well as for our country. – Bruce Halpern
Many thanks to my father, uncles, cousins and fathers of my friends for protecting this great nation and allowing me, my children and grandchildren the freedom from tyranny. Thank those brave men and women carrying on your bravery and valor today. – B.J. Guzzardo, Jr.
I want to thank America’s veterans, from the bottom of my heart. My own dad served in World War 2, in Italy and I know that we would not be free without our brave veterans. Thank you! – Sara Elkins
In honor of my uncle, 90-year-old T.F. Inman of Banner, Mississippi, a veteran of WWII, I wish to thank all veterans, especially those of the “Greatest Generation,” for your service and sacrifice on behalf of our country. God bless you all! – Beverly Cruthirds
With just over a week until Veterans Day, the thank yous have been pouring in. Visit myveteransday.org to add yours.
It is with immense gratitude that I write this letter of appreciation. On behalf of all the members at Omena Traverse Yacht Club (OTYC), thank you for your military service during World War II. – Jeff Bosco
Thank you to each of you who are Veterans for your service to our country. It is something you should be proud of and that each of us should honor. – Gary Scronce
“Thank you” just doesn’t seem enough. How do you show the gratitude and appreciation for our military. Because of them, we enjoy our lives and freedom as we do today. Because of their sacrifice, we have our security. God Bless! – Sheila Otlin
As a son of a WWII/Korean War veteran, I appreciate the sacrifice made by all the men and women who have served, and are now serving our country. Each veteran committed to giving their own life to preserve our freedom. Freedom is not Free! Thank you Vets! – Dave Rhodes
Thank you to all of the men and women who have served in the armed forces of the United States. Your dedication and sacrifice are sincerely appreciated. Freedom is not free! – Donald Nelson
On March 8, 2012, The National WWII Museum lost a treasured member of our family. Vernon Main was a WWII veteran and longtime Museum volunteer.In addition to his work here at the Museum, Vernon carried our mission to schools, nursing homes and community centers across the region as a member of the Speakers Bureau. His group proudly dubbed themselves the “A-Team” and their presentations became known for their unique blend of humor and history.
Vernon’s friend and fellow A-Team member,Ronnie Abboud, wrote this about his service:
Vernon J. Main, Jr. started his service with the US Army Air Corps, 13th Attack Squadron in 1939 at Barksdale Field, Shreveport, LA. Shortly after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Vernon’s’ Squadron shipped out to Australia where the Grim Reapers “borrowed” thirteen B-25 Mitchell Bombers from the Dutch. As a co-pilot and “Royce Raider,” his service included 50 combat missions against the Japanese in the Philippines, Java and New Guinea. After the war Vernon, aka “Jug” and /or”Victor Mike”, continued his love of flying his Boeing Stearman. He earned his golden wings as God’s co-pilot.
Vernon will be sorely missed by all of us here at the Museum. We are grateful for his service and his humor and we hope (for their sake!) they have plenty of cookies in heaven.
On Friday, November 4th, The National WWII Museum’s Red Ball Express was invited to participate in a high school Veterans’ Day program at the Family Interactive Center in Pascagoula, MS. Organized by the Pascagoula High School JROTC, the purpose of the program was both to honor local veterans and also to allow students a chance to talk and interface with some of the actual brave men and women who fought for all of the freedoms that they today enjoy in hopes of deepening their appreciation and understanding of the true meaning of service to one’s country. During the four hours of the program, over 300 JROTC and history students from Pascagoula High School attended, which all considered a great success.
This is the first Veteran’s Day in which a living American veteran of the Great War in Europe is no longer alive for us to honor.
As Americans celebrate Veteran’s Day, it is necessary and appropriate that we should pause to reflect upon the historical occasion and circumstances of this day of honor and remembrance for those who serve in our Armed Forces.
At eleven o’clock in the morning on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 1918, the guns on the Western front finally fell silent after over four long years of war. The Great War was a global conflict that consumed the lives of over ten million soldiers killed and another twenty million left wounded. Final judgements and evaluations of the ultimate causes of the conflict remain murky even to this day. What was certain was that the war had unleashed violent bloodshed on a scale the world had never seen until that time, and the violence lasted right up until the last minute of the war. Before 11am that morning, over 10,000 men on the Allied side were either killed, wounded, or missing in action from operations ongoing through the morning hours of November 11, 1918. The last man killed in the war was American Private Henry Gunter, shot at 10:59am.
As the thank yous to our veterans continue to roll-in, we’d also like to share this incredible video that was produced by the Museum’s partners at Boeing. It beautifully sums up our feelings on the importance of Veterans Day. Don’t forget to visit www.myveteransday.org to add your thank you!
More Thanks Yous!
Thank you for sacrificing your life for our freedom. Without people like you, America would not be the country it is today. God bless. – Hannah Gregoire
Thank you for serving and protecting this country. I am happy for brave people in this country. Thank you. – Hannah Gregoire
Due to overwhelming response at www.myveteransday.org, we will be posting Thanks Yous in batches to the Museum blog.
(Note that many of these were submitted by teachers on behalf of their students so what appears to be multiple thank yous by the same person are actually whole classrooms of young people expressing their gratitude!)
I’d like to say thank you to all of our soldiers, past and present, for all they have sacrificed to preserve our freedom. – Sydney Copeland
Thank you all veterans for putting your life on the line for our country. You have all saved so many lives and done so much for the U.S. I have so much respect for you all and wish I had the courage to do what you do. I will be praying for all of you. – Sydney Copeland
The response to the Museum’s Thank You For My Freedom campaign has been truly overwhelming. Thousands of people from across the globe have submitted heartfelt comments, photos and videos to show their gratitude to all who have served. We look forward to receiving thousands more as Veterans Day approaches.
Here are just a few examples of Thank Yous we have received.
THANK YOU For my freedom! To all who have served past and present to defend our country, preserve our liberty and keep us safe and allow us to enjoy our very unique way of life in the US. I want to send a very special Thank You to my father, Alan W. Pettit for his service in WWII as a member of the 78th (Lightning) infantry. He made it through the “Battle of the Bulge”, and after being wounded, came home to work hard, marry the love of his life for over 60 years, and raise his family. He was my hero!
On October 5, 2011, The National WWII Museum launched a national initiative designed to remind people of the sacrifices our veterans have made for the nation. Our website, MyVeteransDay.org offers an opportunity to say “thank you” to all of the brave men and women who have served in wartime and peacetime. Visitors to the site can submit a written tribute, snap a photo of themselves or a veteran or submit a short video that shows their gratitude.
The goal is to gather a million of these “thank yous” before Veterans Day on November 11, 2011. Add your voice at MyVeteransDay.org
This very personal tribute was submitted by Sascha Jean Jansen, an ex-Santo Tomas civilian prisoner of the Japanese.
FREEDOM
Their names were Joe, Scotty, Rusty, Hank and Shotsy. They hailed from Wetumpka, Alabama, Beryl, Utah, and Barstow, California. From small hamlets, farmlands, sunny beaches and dusty roads of the Alamo, they came. Some were young, some much older, others were just kids. Age did not matter. When they reached us, they were all well seasoned and battle worn.
As prisoners, we were waiting for them for over three years, when on February 3, 1945, among flares and gun fire, they crashed through the gates of Santo Tomas Internment Camp with their tanks of massive steel.
