Kyle Georg

Less than one-half of one percent of Americans wear the uniform. That’s it. Out of a country of more than 330 million people, a sliver raise their hand and say, “Send me.” Over the years I’ve had the privilege of sitting across the table from some of them, and what stays with me is not the medals or the deployments. It’s the purpose. It’s Tyler Merritt, who enlisted as a high school senior after 9/11, flew Apaches with the 160th, and then built Nine Line Apparel in Savannah so he could keep serving by hiring and lifting up fellow veterans. It’s Steve Hotz, 17 years with the 82nd Airborne, who started Black Horse Forge in Fredericksburg first to heal himself and then to help others who brought ghosts home from war. It’s Ryan Manion, who keeps her brother’s memory alive. Marine 1st Lt. Travis Manion was killed in Iraq in 2007. She reminds all of us what that empty place setting at the table really means. It’s Chelsey Simoni and the veterans fighting for answers for those sickened by burn pits, still taking care of their own long after they came home. When so few serve, the rest of us can lose touch with what they carry. The least we can do is close that gap: learn their names, hear their stories, hire them, thank them, and mean it. Today we honor the half of one percent who chose purpose over comfort, and the families who serve right alongside them. Happy Veterans Day. Thank you for your service.#veteransday