---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When service members are discharged, we…"
description: "\"When service members are discharged, we should express our gratitude for their profound personal sacrifice, not hand them a bill for their hospital foo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/barbara-boxer-4675_gratitude_when-service-members-are-discharged-we-s_2096493.jpg"
---

#  When service members are discharged, we should express our…

![“When service members are discharged, we should express our gratitude for their profound personal sacrifice, not hand them a bill for their hospital food.” quote by Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/barbara-boxer-4675_gratitude_when-service-members-are-discharged-we-s_2096493.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/barbara-boxer-4675_gratitude_when-service-members-are-discharged-we-s_2096493.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/barbara-boxer-4675_gratitude_when-service-members-are-discharged-we-s_2096493.jpg)

> “When service members are discharged, we should express our gratitude for their profound personal sacrifice, not hand them a bill for their hospital food.”

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Express gratitude to discharged service members through sincere appreciation, not financial burdens for basic needs.

**In simple terms:** Thank veterans without charging them for essential services.

Key Takeaway

Show genuine appreciation, avoid monetary demands.

Themes

service gratitude policy ethics military

Mood

respectful concerned

Type

policy advocacy

When to use this quote

- veteran support programs
- policy advocacy
- community outreach
- government budgeting

Key Concepts

public service civil responsibility healthcare ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- What non‑financial ways can society honor veterans?
- How can policies reflect true appreciation?

A Different Perspective

Budget constraints may limit non‑monetary recognition options.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Discharged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discharged/) [Express Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/express-gratitude/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members/) [Members Discharged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members-discharged-4168588/) [Personal sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-sacrifice/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Service Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service-members-314440/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Veterans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veterans/)

## Related quotes

> [“The service members who defend our way of life ask very little in return, but they deserve teachers who will be as relentless in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/the-service-members-who-defend-our-way-of-life-ask-very-little-in/)

[Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/)

> [America owes a debt of gratitude to all service members who have fought to preserve the freedoms we all know and cherish today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-parson/america-owes-a-debt-of-gratitude-to-all-service-members-who-have/)

[Mike Parson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-parson/)

> [We need to thank all of our troops, and particularly those for whom we can never express enough gratitude for they have given their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil-goode/we-need-to-thank-all-of-our-troops-and-particularly-those-for-whom-we/)

[Virgil Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil-goode/)

> [After I was discharged from the military, it was difficult trying to become a civilian,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/after-i-was-discharged-from-the-military-it-was-difficult-trying-to/)

[Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/)

> [“There were a lot of people in the service,” says Dickey, “who cried when they were discharged because they knew they would have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sheehan/there-were-a-lot-of-people-in-the-service-says-dickey-who-cried-when/)

[George Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sheehan/)

> [“Astronomy staff that routinely discharged industrial gas into the indoor environment at high altitudes did not wear oxygen deficiency monitors or protective breathing respirators.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/astronomy-staff-that-routinely-discharged-industrial-gas-into-the/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [What needs to be discharged is the intolerable tenderness of the past, the past gone and grieved over and never made sense of. Music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/what-needs-to-be-discharged-is-the-intolerable-tenderness-of-the-past/)

[Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/)

> [“Oh, there's not much to tell. I served in the Ninth Iowa Infantry. That's where I met Frankie...Frank. I mean, Mr. Greerson. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-dean-pace-frech/oh-there-s-not-much-to-tell-i-served-in-the-ninth-iowa-infantry-that/)

[L. Dean Pace-Frech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-dean-pace-frech/)

> [In 1916 I was discharged from military service, or rather, given a sort of leave of absence on the understanding that I might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grosz/in-1916-i-was-discharged-from-military-service-or-rather-given-a-sort/)

[George Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grosz/)

> [“He came to chat with me the day of my being discharged, advising that I not stay at the dog fight until the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/he-came-to-chat-with-me-the-day-of-my-being-discharged-advising-that/)

[Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/)

> [I became a major league manager in several cities and was discharged. We call it discharged because there was no question I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stengel/i-became-a-major-league-manager-in-several-cities-and-was-discharged/)

[Casey Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stengel/)

> [Thus have I, Wall, my part discharged so; And, being done, thus Wall away doth go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thus-have-i-wall-my-part-discharged-so-and-being-done-thus-wall-away/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [My life with girls has ended,though till lately I was up to it and soldiered on not ingliriously ;now on this wall will hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/my-life-with-girls-has-ended-though-till-lately-i-was-up-to-it-and/)

[Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/)

> [“I stand condemned before the court of human justice. The odds are not in my favor. The judge is about to give its verdict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abiodun-fijabi/i-stand-condemned-before-the-court-of-human-justice-the-odds-are-not/)

[Abiodun Fijabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abiodun-fijabi/)

> [I dare you to show me one example where I haven't discharged my responsibility seriously, professionally and appropriately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-key/i-dare-you-to-show-me-one-example-where-i-haven-t-discharged-my/)

[John Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-key/)

## More by Barbara Boxer

> [In the early stages of a pregnancy, the Government cannot intervene with a woman's right to choose. That is it, plain and simple. Guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/in-the-early-stages-of-a-pregnancy-the-government-cannot-intervene/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [There are many faces to war. There is the face of courage, of bravery, of fellowship.There is the face of fear. Above all, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/there-are-many-faces-to-war-there-is-the-face-of-courage-of-bravery/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [Iraq made commitments after the Gulf War to completely dismantle all weapons of mass destruction, and unfortunately, Iraq has not lived up to its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/iraq-made-commitments-after-the-gulf-war-to-completely-dismantle-all/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [I think Democrats are right. We fight for the American dream, for the environment, for privacy rights, a woman's right to choose, a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/i-think-democrats-are-right-we-fight-for-the-american-dream-for-the/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [Some people play golf. Some are artists, Some jog. I like to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/some-people-play-golf-some-are-artists-some-jog-i-like-to-write/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [You take what you've learned, you pass it down, and you keep working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/you-take-what-you-ve-learned-you-pass-it-down-and-you-keep-working/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [We know no document is perfect, but when we amend the Constitution, it would be to expand rights, not to take away rights from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/we-know-no-document-is-perfect-but-when-we-amend-the-constitution-it/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [Each issue has to be looked at as to whether or not it threatens a woman's health or her life, and if it does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/each-issue-has-to-be-looked-at-as-to-whether-or-not-it-threatens-a/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [If it's racist, it's racist. If it's anti-Semitic, it's anti-Semitic. If it's anti-women, it's anti-women. If it's anti-immigrant, it's anti-immigrant, and we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/if-it-s-racist-it-s-racist-if-it-s-anti-semitic-it-s-anti-semitic-if/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [The combined efforts of millions of concerned citizens could do wonders to help the impoverished. The American people are ready for action!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/the-combined-efforts-of-millions-of-concerned-citizens-could-do/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [If something is opinion, put it in the opinion section: Don't put it in the facts section.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/if-something-is-opinion-put-it-in-the-opinion-section-don-t-put-it-in/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [If I can make a generalization, men get into politics because, from the time they're little boys, they've been wanting to be President.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/if-i-can-make-a-generalization-men-get-into-politics-because-from-the/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [Iraq was a war of choice, not necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/iraq-was-a-war-of-choice-not-necessity/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [The point is that what we want, Democrats, and what we've always wanted, is to make abortion safe, legal, and rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/the-point-is-that-what-we-want-democrats-and-what-we-ve-always-wanted/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

> [Even if I have to stand alone, I will not be afraid to stand alone. I'm going to fight for you. I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/even-if-i-have-to-stand-alone-i-will-not-be-afraid-to-stand-alone-i-m/)

[Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

[Explore all 107 Barbara Boxer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/)

## More Discharged quotes

> [After I was discharged from the military, it was difficult trying to become a civilian,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/after-i-was-discharged-from-the-military-it-was-difficult-trying-to/)

[Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/)

> [“I stand condemned before the court of human justice. The odds are not in my favor. The judge is about to give its verdict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abiodun-fijabi/i-stand-condemned-before-the-court-of-human-justice-the-odds-are-not/)

[Abiodun Fijabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abiodun-fijabi/)

> [My life with girls has ended,though till lately I was up to it and soldiered on not ingliriously ;now on this wall will hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/my-life-with-girls-has-ended-though-till-lately-i-was-up-to-it-and/)

[Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/)

> [Thus have I, Wall, my part discharged so; And, being done, thus Wall away doth go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thus-have-i-wall-my-part-discharged-so-and-being-done-thus-wall-away/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I became a major league manager in several cities and was discharged. We call it discharged because there was no question I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stengel/i-became-a-major-league-manager-in-several-cities-and-was-discharged/)

[Casey Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stengel/)

> [“He came to chat with me the day of my being discharged, advising that I not stay at the dog fight until the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/he-came-to-chat-with-me-the-day-of-my-being-discharged-advising-that/)

[Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/)

> [In 1916 I was discharged from military service, or rather, given a sort of leave of absence on the understanding that I might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grosz/in-1916-i-was-discharged-from-military-service-or-rather-given-a-sort/)

[George Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grosz/)

> [“Oh, there's not much to tell. I served in the Ninth Iowa Infantry. That's where I met Frankie...Frank. I mean, Mr. Greerson. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-dean-pace-frech/oh-there-s-not-much-to-tell-i-served-in-the-ninth-iowa-infantry-that/)

[L. Dean Pace-Frech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-dean-pace-frech/)

> [What needs to be discharged is the intolerable tenderness of the past, the past gone and grieved over and never made sense of. Music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/what-needs-to-be-discharged-is-the-intolerable-tenderness-of-the-past/)

[Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/)

> [“Astronomy staff that routinely discharged industrial gas into the indoor environment at high altitudes did not wear oxygen deficiency monitors or protective breathing respirators.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/astronomy-staff-that-routinely-discharged-industrial-gas-into-the/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [“There were a lot of people in the service,” says Dickey, “who cried when they were discharged because they knew they would have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sheehan/there-were-a-lot-of-people-in-the-service-says-dickey-who-cried-when/)

[George Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sheehan/)

> [I dare you to show me one example where I haven't discharged my responsibility seriously, professionally and appropriately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-key/i-dare-you-to-show-me-one-example-where-i-haven-t-discharged-my/)

[John Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-key/)

> [“When I worked in astronomy, I routinely observed young college and university students working with liquid nitrogen and breathing nitrogen gas as they discharged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/when-i-worked-in-astronomy-i-routinely-observed-young-college-and/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [In the end, they pardoned me and packed me off to a home for the shell-shocked. Shortly before the end of the war, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grosz/in-the-end-they-pardoned-me-and-packed-me-off-to-a-home-for-the-shell/)

[George Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grosz/)

> [When I was discharged, I attended the University of Paris and met a beautiful Parisian girl, Janine. We soon married and eventually returned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/when-i-was-discharged-i-attended-the-university-of-paris-and-met-a/)

[Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/)

[Browse all 24 Discharged quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discharged/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When service members are discharged, we should express our gratitude for their profound personal sacrifice, not hand them a bill for their hospital food.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barbara Boxer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/when-service-members-are-discharged-we-should-express-our-gratitude/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Discharged"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/when-service-members-are-discharged-we-should-express-our-gratitude/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/barbara-boxer-4675_gratitude_when-service-members-are-discharged-we-s_2096493.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/barbara-boxer-4675_gratitude_when-service-members-are-discharged-we-s_2096493.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/barbara-boxer-4675_gratitude_when-service-members-are-discharged-we-s_2096493.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When service members are discharged, we should express our gratitude for their profound personal sacrifice…” — Barbara Boxer",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Barbara Boxer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When service members are discharged, we...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/when-service-members-are-discharged-we-should-express-our-gratitude/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/when-service-members-are-discharged-we-should-express-our-gratitude/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
