I have never previously been drawn to any aspect of American culture with the desire to adopt it or replicate it, whether that is playing baseball, celebrating Halloween, or making firearm ownership easier than buying beer. Yet there has always been one exception that has stood out to me, and I would like to suggest it here, hoping it becomes a positive practice in my Emirati society.

It is the phrase “thank you for your service,” which American citizens customarily say to any member of the armed forces they meet, whether retired or still in active duty, and whether they are a frontline soldier or a cook preparing food in a military camp.

Why did Americans adopt it

It is said that the use of this phrase began, or at least became widespread, in the aftermath of the devastating Vietnam War. American soldiers were returning from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia bearing the weight of a humiliating defeat. Their broken condition evoked feelings of sympathy and sorrow among American citizens, who realized that those young men had been sent into a deadly trap they could not escape unharmed. “Thank you for your service” was not only a way to express gratitude toward fighters who had not been properly valued or protected from their fate, but also an indirect form of apology and consolation.

As for us in the United Arab Emirates, when we say “thank you for your service,” it would be spoken with respect toward the proud men and women who stood with bravery during forty days of severe Iranian aggression, and who led us safely through it.

Thank you for your service.

Thank you for sacrificing your life for us.

Thank you for your courage.

Thank you for defending all of us without distinction.

Thank you for your loyalty.

Thank you for giving up time with your family.

Thank you for giving up the joy of Ramadan and Eid al Fitr.

Thank you even for the phrase “target destroyed,” or “the target has been destroyed” in English, which one of you soldiers would repeat with your distinctive Emirati accent while shooting down Iranian drones from Apache helicopters, turning it into a popular meme that Emiratis enjoyed hearing.

After the Iranian attacks, I can no longer be satisfied with keeping these deep feelings of gratitude to myself or expressing them only in writing. I now want to voice them so that every member of the UAE armed forces I meet can hear them and believe them. The least any of them deserves, whether retired or still serving, is to be thanked directly and personally for their great sacrifices. “Thank you for your service,” I want to say, and I want you to say it with me.

Thank you all

It is true that my inspiration for writing this article is the fiftieth anniversary of the unification of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, which falls on May 6. However, I also believe that all the heroes who protected our Gulf capitals and cities throughout that difficult war are equally deserving of the phrase “thank you for your service.”

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Annahar