We are taught to respect and revere our warriors from a young age, and properly so. After all, the military men and women who make such great sacrifices for our continued freedom deserve it. As an adult, I am very aware of this, and whenever the opportunity presents itself, I support our military.

However, when I was younger, the notion sometimes eluded me. Sure, I understood warriors were risking their lives to defend us, but I hadn’t yet grasped the genuine meaning of appreciation.

Jace Vega, 6, surely does. After being photographed greeting military soldiers at San Antonio International Airport, a photo of the child went viral.

On Sunday, Fox San Antonio raised awareness of Jace through their Facebook page. Jace’s photo has around 3,000 likes and 1,900 shares at the time of this writing.

When asked why he saluted, Jace simply stated, “Because they fight for our country.”

Jace and his family were waiting for his father to return from a vacation in Colorado Springs. When the first-grader spotted the military officers, he chose to salute them on his own.

“Why don’t you tell them [the station] what you said about wanting to be a soldier someday? Joe Vega inquired of his kid, who replied, “Yep.”

Joe also expressed his pride in his son, saying that the salute may have opened possibilities for him in the future.

“A couple of companies have reached out to us, and some other people have just reached out to my wife,” he explained. “They want to use his picture in an airport in Florida. A few of the locally owned veteran shirt firms that are locally owned and operated are going to work with him on a couple of shirts.”

Jace, congratulations! Such patriotism and support for those who deserve it should never be underestimated!

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