This Veteran's Day, consider these points when thanking a vet for serving, as the best way to honor them is to prevent more people from joining the service.

If you have served in any branch of the military, Veteran's Day has symbolic and emotional meaning others can only relate to empathetically, but might never fully grasp. Today, we honor those who fought for the United States, dedicating a portion of their lives in defense of what we, as a nation, hold dear — often returning scarred and battered inside and out.

A mythos exists about the armed services — indoctrinated veneration of men and women in uniform, and a call to duty — where, by design, the people of this land aren't taught to question war or the military, or the consequences reverberating into the past and future.

However, as a growing number of veterans will tell you in moments of bare honesty, taking up arms and donning a uniform isn't exactly about fighting for freedom — and the wounds sustained in battle physically and mentally haunt many former service members for reasons that have little to do with glory and honor.