Editor,

I am a Vietnam vet. Me and my wife, Sharon, attended the Veterans Day Parade. I tipped my USS Constellation hat to Mayor Bob Severns and his wife Rhonda, saluted the flag, saluted the officers marching with the band, saluted Grand Marshal Denny Zylstra and the remaining veterans.

Then, a little girl marching with the parade ran up to me and handed me a card. I said, “thank you,” and looked at it. It read, “you are our hero.”

I immediately felt this large lump in my throat. The parade ended and we went back to our car to leave. I again looked at the card, opened it, and it had a thank you card with a gift card for a free cup of coffee saying, “have a cup of joe on us.”

The lump in my throat returned along with tears in my eyes. I’d like to share this feeling with all the veterans, active duty and retired military out there who may have never gotten this honor.

Most of all, I’d like to thank that little girl and the people who organized the letter writing for their kindness and thoughtfulness.

Thank you for your kindness in saying, “thank you for your service.”

Kerry Porter

Oak Harbor