I also came across this quote on another forum and thought it was a bit much because I would have used the word "duty" where the quote used the word "honor". But being a curious sort, I also went looking for it on the internet where I found it on:
viewfromlansing.blogspot.com/
The original quote got changed a bit (NOT by rvtraveler! but by someone else) and the way it was changed is subtle, but ends up changing the entire tone of the statement.
The entire original quote reads as:
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A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including my life." That is
an honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it. -- Author unknown"
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As originally written, I personally believe what the author meant was that it is an honor to serve one's country, not that the act of military service somehow defines honor. Any career military person who is honest about it will be able to remember individuals they encountered whose service was anything BUT honorable.
I do, however, agree very much that the concept of duty to one's country is one that far too many people in today's world do not understand at all. But that's another discussion altogether.
