The guilt was killing me inside.  I wanted to thank each of them, but was unsure how.  I did speak to one soldier, and he was a kind and gentle man.  After our brief hello, I asked he was departing to go to Iraq.  He said, "We will leave next week.  We're all here eating with our families."  My heart ached for him.  I could see the pain in his eyes.  I said, "Thank you!"  It was all I could muster out as my voice broke.  He smiled at me.

I think about that soldier often, and how he must have felt leaving his family.  He sat with his wife and toddler.  His little girl kept throwing mashed potatoes across the table.  The soldier sat there and smiled at her, oblivious to the fact that she was making a mess.  At that moment, I realized that he was just admiring his daughter.  I wondered what thoughts were going through his head.

Did he think that he might not make it back to be with his child?  Was he savoring every single moment he had left with his wife and child?  I assumed he was thinking these things.  I know I would be.

The whole point of this article is for all of us to say thank you to every soldier you pass.  A funny thing happened to me recently.  I came across a website that makes it easier for all of us to say thank you to a soldier without speaking a word.  Had I known about this video beforehand, I would have stood up and gestured this new way of saying thank you to all of the soldiers in the restaurant that day.  Please, watch this video and tell other's about it.  The person that created this video is a Godsend. 

http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/shortmovie.php

Tracy B. Evans