(took this shot on my way home from work tonight)

If you follow my work life at all, you know that my company Vsnap has launched a campaign called Vthankyou. For every video message of thanks to our veterans that’s sent to vthankyou@vsnap.com via Vsnap, $5 will go to the Wounded Warrior Project. To be honest… I was slightly hesitant about this project at first, but in the end I thought, “how could anyone be opposed to saying thank you?”. Boy, was I wrong. I didn’t realize how political people would make this. I’m not pro-war… but I am pro-thank you.

Outside of the politics… some folks have told me these thank yous are kind of useless. They’re not directly helping any of the veterans and people’s time would be better spent doing direct service. While I find a few things wrong with this sentiment, I do agree that doing direct service is important. Actually, my vsnap of thanks has a blog post attached with volunteer opportunities regarding veterans. The thing is, for me, volunteerism falls into the same category as exercise in that it’s a lifestyle. People need to ease into it and why not figure out what you’re willing to make time for by making a video of support. Also, if you’ve ever gotten a thank you note from someone in person, through snail mail, or email… you know that it means something. Imagine getting a website full of thousands of videos thanking you for doing your job. If you’ve got a few minutes, read Fast Company’s article “After the Parade”. After these vets stop wearing their uniform there’s no more prompt to say thank you to them. 

Most importantly is the element of advocacy that’s being overlooked. Bringing about the awareness and importance of Veterans Day through the passing along of these videos is incredibly meaningful. A decade ago, for me, this holiday was a day off work or school. It was about grandfathers and older uncles. Now it’s about friends’ husbands and little brothers. Volunteering at places like the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, I see guys my age all the time. Again, I’m not a supporter of war but I am damn respectful of these servicemen and women. And how many of us out there would buy a stranger a sandwich much less lay down our life for them? 

If you’re still doubting the power of thank you, watch this video I shot at the Tobin School the other day. Some of the kids confuse veteran versus current servicemen/women but what’s glaringly obvious is their ability to express gratitude in an honest and beautiful way.