JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — "Thank you for your service" are five words that Veterans don't take for granted. Those words commend and acknowledge those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
"The attitude that you have is that this is a country that I love, I want to defend it, and when I signed that enlistment contract, I told them at that particular time, I'm willing to die for you," Marine Corp Veteran, Ronnie Smith, said.
It was a life-changing journey for Smith that dates all the way back to 1969 when he was just 19 years old being drafted into the military.
"The things that I experienced during the time that I was in the Marine Corps, I'm absolutely certain that there would never been the chance for me to do those kinds of things if I had remained a civilian," Smith explained.
Smith said the military offered opportunities of a lifetime that would shape him into the very man that he is today.
The military also brought two friends together who joined in different branches, but were led with the same mindset and heart to serve their country.
"When we joined, we actually gave our life to the military, to Uncle Sam to the United States. We knew at any point in time, if we had orders to go, whatever they sent us, it was wartime or whatever, that is a possibility that we may have to we might have to live our life," Air Force Veteran, Silas Spann Jr. Air Force said.
Spann joined the Air Force decades ago, where he mainly worked on missiles.
"I joined the Air Force in 1974. On February 4, I believe 1974 and I was stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base. They put me in the field of missiles and so I was here at Little Rock Air Force base with a Titan two missile which was the largest nuclear weapon in the United States option at that time," Spann described.
Smith and Spann both answered the question of what it means to them when Veterans Day comes around.
"It is, I guess, a time that where you can actually see the appreciation of the people that live in your community. How they actually feel about Veterans or it actually gives the community the opportunity to say, hey, you know, thank you for your service. We understand what you're doing and we understand what your sacrifices are and that's something that a lot of Veterans are needing to hear," Smith said.
Times have certainly changed for Smith and Spann but one thing that remains the same is the way they continue to serve their community and country, though now as Veterans and members of the American Legion.
"I'm the commander of posterior aid in Jacksonville. It's that that feeling that you gained from being in a military service. And that was it, a lot of the Veterans continue to serve, and with the American Legion, those are Veterans that have come off active duty and still want to serve their community," Smith said. "So becoming a member of the American Legion gives them that opportunity to continue to serve. Not only are they happy in their community, but they're helping other Veterans to be able to work their way through the system of being in the military."