Back on November 27, 2008 Thanksgiving Day I was still in the Army and was stationed in South Korea. I had been there about 7 months. I was one of 14 soldiers in our Communications Platoon. A small number compared to the size of our unit. But our responsibilities and expectations were high. It had been a horrid humid summer that we all survived. We had gone on different Field Training Exercises that lasted anywhere from a week to 3 weeks. We were all new to working with each other. Just about everything from the country to the equipment was new. But somehow we survived and exceeded expectations. We didn’t just survive, we flourished. Other unit’s Communication Platoons were coming to us to get tips because news of our accomplishments had spread throughout the Division.
But for some reason only those who worked in Communications understood the obstacles we hurdled and the impossibilities we challenged and overcame. For everyone else it was expected. There were times it seemed they felt entitled to it. We didn’t hear “thank you” too often. Unfortunately, we started to feel alienated from the rest of the unit, but it also drove us as a platoon closer. The summer quickly passed and so did Fall. We suddenly found ourselves approaching Thanksgiving Day and wishing we were with loved ones. You see, the Army sent us there with orders to spend an entire year. For most of us that meant an entire year away from loved ones. So as we bonded over the summer making a name for ourselves we became a family to each other. So on Thanksgiving Day we celebrated. All 14 of us: 4 officers and 10 enlisted.
I often remember my time in South Korea and this Thanksgiving Day. Before then I was spoiled simply by being able to celebrate with loved ones. We made plans about food, games and seeing family. Rarely did I really pause for a moment and let the world pass me by to think about what I was most thankful for. It’s possible this was because I was young. I hadn’t experienced this loss yet. So all the way in another country and across the ocean it struck me like lightning that Thanksgiving Day is about giving thanks and loved ones. And since getting out of the Army I’ve made it a point to focus on loved ones and their happiness. Let them know I love them and from there, deep in my heart, the good food and fun just flows.
Back in November 1621 the Pilgrims were celebrating their first ever Thanksgiving Day. They were thanking God for their first successful corn harvest. They invited the Native American Indians and thanked them for their help. It had been a very unfortunate previous winter with only half the Pilgrims surviving. Picture that….next spring half of those you know don’t survive the winter. But that’s what happened to them. They probably didn’t call it Thanksgiving Day, but you can bet they were thankful for life, loved ones and just about anything. It wasn’t until 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, that Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday. I wonder what was on his mind to give thanks for.
If you take a moment to think about what you’re thankful for you might surprise yourself.
- Make an effort to say “thank you”
- List 3 things you’re thankful for
- Share a story of thankfulness
- Thank someone for being in your life
- Do a kind act or service to show your thankfulness
- Do something for someone else for no reason
- Volunteer
- The possibilities are endless…
Thanksgiving Day is definitely more than just another day. I think that without loved ones and giving thanks it really is just an ordinary day. It’s important for us to remember that. I often hear in jest that on Thanksgiving Day you go to see loved ones for one day out of the year, and then after you remember why it’s only one day out of the year. So while this is just a joke it’s important we don’t take them for granted. Sometimes we feel entitled to being loved or treated a certain way. We lose perspective that we didn’t earn it and that love is freely given. How about this year we share the love and share our story with others?
Love the post. Very insightful & true. I like to look at it being more than just another day, but a day to look at what I’ve been given and how much I have been blessed. It all reminds me that so much of it, if not all of it, is not of my own doing. That should be what drives us to give thanks every day and not just one day out of the year.
Good point! We definitely all are blessed in some way. I know God blesses me and it isn’t my own doing. If we add up all the things we can be thankful for we always come out with more than what we started with.
Thank you John for this post. What a great life experience! Thank you for your service and thank you for those that are away from their families so we can have this time with our’s.
Paul, thank you! And for also remembering those away from loved ones. Our prayers are with them.
John,
I appreciate you sharing your Thanksgiving experiences in Korea.
My father served in Korea during the Korean War. I was recently looking at some of the photos and reading some of the letters that he sent home. It made me think about what a challenging experience that must have been.
The sacrifices that our military make are largely under the radar screen, until we read about experiences like yours and others.