Radical Acts of Service: The true meaning of Veteran's Day

When I turned 18, I registered with Selective Services.  I promptly received a letter in response informing me my registration was pending due to Bureau of Vital Statistics records showing I was a female and instructing me to please correct my file and resubmit.   

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I politely wrote them back informing them that I was in fact a female and had no plans of changing that, and explaining that while my male classmates were required by law to register for service to their country, I didn’t understand why I wouldn’t be held to the same duty simply because I was a girl.  

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Maybe not a popular stance - down right “radical” where I am from - but as I’ve written about here previously, #DutyHonorCountry were the underlying themes of my upbringing in a family of veterans and military service personnel.  They still are.  

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Veteran’s Day also happens to be my birthday.  Throughout my childhood, my parents told me that people put out their flags in honor of my special day. and haha, I believed it. At least for a while. I would happily ride along with my dad in the back of someone’s pickup truck, installing American flags at all the local businesses in town, as a service of the @AmericanLegion of which he was a member.  

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It was and is more than a day off from school or work, and more than just my birthday.  It is a day to honor the brave soldiers, sailors, and pilots who have survived the crucible of combat to testify that freedom has never been free.  

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And sadly, it’s a day that goes relatively unnoticed in recent history. Less than half a percent of our population actively serve in the armed forces, the lowest rate in history, meaning fewer and fewer of us are personally connected to a veteran.

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But the purpose those few fulfill is enormous; priceless even. That’s why those core values of #DutyHonorCountry are the core values of our work at @TailoredCloset_CentralATX, @PremierGarage_CentralATX, and @VetcorCentralTX.  They manifest in a commitment to our clients, integrity and excellence in our work, as well as a sense of place and community that is larger than ourselves.  

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I may not have served in the military or been allowed to register for the draft, but the same passion and drive that prompted that “radical” act all those years ago, is the same passion and drive I try to bring to each of our projects. 

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The legacy a veteran leaves is service to others.  The Tailored Closet and Premier Garage of #catx nurtures that same culture of service, through hiring and training veterans as employees, and extending special pricing to our veteran clients every day. It is our way of not just saying thank you, but paying it forward.  

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So today, in honor of Veteran’s Day - and my birthday - thank a veteran.  Do a #RadicalAct of service to others.  Remember those who give of their time, talent, family and health in service to others. Happy Veteran’s Day.