First Example:
Announcer: For Veteran’s Day, the president honored
the men and women who have served our
country.  He thanked the military
members for their service in a speech given at Arlington National Cemetery. 

Meaning: The idiom “to
serve a country” is used to describe someone who is enrolled in the
military.  The expression is used to
emphasize the sacrifice that being a member of a military can take on those who have served. In the example above, the president is honoring military members
who have served their country on Veteran’s Day, a special day to commemorate those
who have done military service.  Normally,
most individuals “serve” their
own country, so this idiom is often used with a possessive adjective, as in the
example (“our” instead of “a”). Here is another example:

Chris: I heard you’re joining the navy
after you graduate? 
Tammy: Yep.  I start next month.
Chris: Really?  Are you doing it to help pay for college?
Tammy:
Not really. I mean, that’s certainly
a benefit, but it’s not my primary reason. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve
always wanted to give back, and serving
my country seems like the best way to that.
Chris: That’s cool. 

Meaning: In this example, Tammy is joining the Navy.  When Chris asks if she is doing it to help
pay for college (there are programs that pay for US veterans’ higher education),
she says the she has wanted to give back to her community since she was a
little girl, emphasizing that her service
is primarily altruistic (doing something for others) rather than self-serving (receiving
benefits in this case). @SBLA @OC @NELA @DTLA

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