Here’s the original post from Nov 2008:

Today we celebrate Veterans Day.

How many Veterans have you thanked for their willingness to serve our great county?

How about thanking everyone you know currently serving in the military?

This morning I called a long time client of mine to thank him for his willingness to serve. He was in Viet Nam and recently, while in the National Guard, he went to Iraq at an age when most of us would want to slow down. Yet, he was willing to take on the challenge of duty when his peers were enjoying their grandchildren.

When I called all I could get out was “thank you”. It was almost too emotional to say more. My client was on his cel phone and we had a bad connection. Maybe he thought that’s why there was silence. Or did he know it was really a lump in my throat? Either way, he hung up saying he would call later.

As I’ve grown older, my gratitude for the sacrifice of our men and women willing give for our freedom has grown.

I guess my gratitude began to surface while my daughter was still in high school.

Every Friday night, during football season, my wife and I would be at the games cheering the team on. But the main reason we were there was to watch our daughter be a part of Americana-she was a cheerleader. A good one, too!

During that time I began to think about the price paid by the men and women serving in the military. They gave up their time, sometimes their youth and even the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. Their sacrifice was so my daughter, her classmates, my wife, myself and all the other parents could yell for our favorite team on chilly Friday nights.

I don’t know exactly when that thought was born but I do remember thinking about it often.

Sometime in the future my wife and I will be at the football games again. We’ll be cheering on our football team. This time we’ll be in the stands with our daughter and son-in-law while we watch our grandchildren continue a tried and true fall Friday night tradition.

And again, with tremendous gratitude I’ll think of the men and women serving in the military. Giving themselves for our country and the freedoms we enjoy.

But today, it’s time to tell all those who have served and currently are serving in our country’s armed forces…

Thank you for your service to our country!

I’ve not spoken to my client since 2008. He was able to retire and finally pursue his dream. If we were to talk today, it would still be the same message…”Bill, thanks for your willingness to serve our country.”

Again, my thanks to all the men and women of the United States military!

Watch the short video below to see what the commercial looks like:

The video is less than three minuts long. Watch it here:

I made a video with the radio commercial audio and posted on Youtube this morning. Listen to the ad below: