I participated today in The Big Thank You, a letter righting campaign sponsored by The Bert Show and Local Atlanta Area Taco Mac. In appreciation for the selfless service of US servicemen and women, The Big Thank You asks people to write a letter that is "heartfelt, handwritten, original, and free of any political statements" to our troops overseas and drop it off at their local Taco Mac location. Their goal is to give 1 letter for each of the 400,000+ service members around the global for Thanksgiving. The deadline is tomorrow, October 28th, 2011 and as of this morning were way behind. Please help out.
My letter is below in case you're interested. I typed it out as well for legibility.
To the Service Person Reading This Letter:
It is hard for me to find sufficient words to express my gratitude for your service to our country. So let me start off by saying: Thank You.
If one were to filter out all the noise of politics and protests, the debates and demagoguery of foreign affairs, one would find that all that would be left is you—you and the millions of men and women, past and present, like you, who sacrificed so other wouldn’t have to. You are more than a collection of Purple Hearts and Service Ribbons. You are our brothers and sisters, our parents and children. You are our husbands, wives, friends and lovers. You are the protectors of an America more transcendental than any particular war and more intrinsic than the ever changing definition of “American Values.” You are American, a citizen of this country and of the planet Earth. Your service will mean more to us than you’ll ever admit and more than we’ll ever know.
I hope that when you finally make it home that the American people have done and will continue to do right by you. I hope that when you finally get to come home, we, the people who stayed behind, have made your country a little better than when you left it. And I hope that you will never be ashamed of us or of your service to us.
Thank you and sincerely yours,
T.J. Blackburn
Atlanta, Georgia.