Yes a thank you means more to me than money. Imma tell you a little story, this happend to me last verterans day...

14 guy/gals from my platoon drove down to my hometown (Knoxville,TN) to march in the veterans day parade. We got our stuff together and I began giving the appropriate commands. Fall In, Dress right Dress, Right Face, Cover, Un cover. From front to rear, count off etc etc. after we went into motion we began to sing a slow marching jodie. It was one of the sad ones about the fallen soldiers, and as we marched down main st, a little girl runs out from the crowd and stops beside me and starts marching along side of me. She tells me that her father was recently killed in Iraq, and she missed him really bad. I looked for the girls mom in the crowd and I could not see anyone that looked particularly interested in this little girl. SO I picked her up and off we marched. After about 10 yards or so, she took over calling the cadence, It was some sight man, this little 9 yr old girl, barking cadence like an old pro. As the parade neared the end, I asked the girl where her mom was and she told me that she was around somewhere. At this point we reached the end point, and I thought surely the mom had seen this little girl out in the middle of the Parade. I decided to stick around to wait for the kids mom. Not evne 3 minutes later the mom came running up apologising like she had done something wrong, and said that the girl shouldnt have been out there nad started to fuss at her. I really didnt think this was needed, and I told her that it was the best thing that could have happend. I really did enjoy that little girls company. I found out that ever since the little girls dad died she pretty much took to any guy in uniform like he was her dad. This of course made my heart melt. I was really brought to my knees when the little girl grabbed me in a big hug and thanked me for letting her be in the parade with the soldiers. I cried like a little baby for bout an hour after that.

It wasnt until I got home and had time to think about the events of that day... Its not the thank yous, or the treatment soldiers get. It moments like those, when we really get to make someones day. When we really get to do something that has an instant pay off, thats when we feel the best. Polotics aside, you cant really have a better day than that. sorry for the poor typing, I am not a writer, and my College English professors have all told me my sentences read like machine gun fire. for that I am sorry.