Dear Korean War Veteran:

I would like to start by saying thank you for your service to our country.  I appreciate the sacrifices you made in you life in order to defend America.  My name is Elise and I am 17 years old. I am writing because I watched the 2015 Honor Flight movie and, it inspired me to write to you. I am also writing because my grandpa was in this war too as a infantry member in Seoul.

I can kind of relate to how you may have felt coming home to America with some people being disrespectful to you, because I have ADHD and Aspergers Syndrome (a mild form of autism).   I relate to you also because you fought for us and so have I in my own way, starting in 4th grade in the form of bullying or being treated like I don’t exist by fellow classmates. By the time I got to sixth grade I was considering leaving or transfering schools or doing worse things to myself. Veterans like you inspired me to keep going and not give up on life. Because of you, our country has a chance to do great things and people are able to choose what they want to accomplish in life.

Now that you have seen the war memorials, I hope you realize that you inspire people to never give up even though you are going through what seems like you live in a world where nothing is going you want it to. Thank you for never giving up!

Serving our country takes sacrifice, courage, and determination. I can’t imagine being at war or fighting for our country, but I appreciate the brave men and women who do or who have done this. Thanks to those courageous people like you, I have the right to stand up for what I believe in.

I want to be first to say welcome home, soldier. Your service is greatly appreciated and admired.

Sincerely,

Elise