A few weeks ago, I was scanning my news feed on Facebook when an article a friend posted caught my eye. The article, "Why we shouldn't just have military discounts<a href="http://www.collegian.com/2012/10/02/why-we-shouldnt-just-have-military-discounts/">Why we shouldn't just have military discounts</a>," was about how a student felt like it was unfair for military personnel to receive military discounts. The student said the military isn’t the only job that involves risk and society shouldn’t reward a person for volunteering to pursue a specific profession, no matter the dangers involved.," was about how a student felt like it was unfair for military personnel to receive military discounts. The student said the military isn’t the only job that involves risk and society shouldn’t reward a person for volunteering to pursue a specific profession, no matter the dangers involved. Why we shouldn’t just have military discounts,” was about how a student felt like it was unfair for military personnel to receive military discounts. The student said the military isn’t the only job that involves risk and society shouldn’t reward a person for volunteering to pursue a specific profession, no matter the dangers involved.

A couple of months earlier, I read a post from a classmate about how one branch of the military is superior to others. He went on to explain, in a very demeaning and inappropriate way, how the other branches were lazy, spoiled, uneducated and useless to the United States.

When people post statuses or write columns that are offensive or I don’t agree with, I tend to brush it off or ignore it. Everyone has the right to their own opinion, but when a person feels he or she has the right to insult or criticize the military and he or she hasn’t served in it, that is something I cannot tolerate. Unfortunately, it is a trend I’ve seen growing, especially with our generation.

As a family member and friend to many military men and women, I am extremely grateful for the countless freedoms and rights the military fights for each day. They leave their family and friends to go overseas, put their personal lives on hold and risk their lives not just for themselves and the people they know, but for their country. Our country.

The three core values of the United States Air Force are “integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do.” Service before self. That means that person is putting his country before himself, not vice versa, which most Americans can agree is a valiant act.

As a generation, we have grown up more privileged than we realize. We are allowed to speak our minds and challenge the law. People of any race or gender may vote, attend school and practice (or not practice) whatever religion we wish, which is something that isn’t common in all countries.

What we sometimes fail to remember is that those freedoms have not always been in place. Those rights and privileges have been granted to us by our government through wars, protests and sacrifices that many people, including military members, have made.

Today, it is possible for us to continue to have those privileges in large part because our military is serving our country. It’s something we take for granted.

Supporting the military doesn’t mean supporting war. It is a sign of respect for the bravery shown by the hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens who wake up, put on a uniform and defend our country every day.

Veteran’s Day was Sunday, and if you haven’t had the chance to tell a former or current military man or woman thank you, take the time to do so the next chance you get.

Thank them for risking their lives, for fighting for freedom and for doing what I believe is one of the most noble acts a person can do.

Remember, the person you’re thanking isn’t wearing that uniform for himself. He’s wearing it to protect and serve you.