How do you respond when someone says "Thank you for your service"?

I am a civilian and told a Veteran, "Thank you for your service. I hope you hear it often and you never tire of hearing it." His response blew me away.
'Thank you for being worth fighting for."

Normally just: Thank you, I loved every minute of it.

MSgt (Join to see) I say thank you and often times ask if they served. If the person did not serve, they will usually remark that a relative or friend served, which often leads to interesting discussions.

When I am wearing my Viet Nam cap People often thank me for my service, I always respond that it was my honor. Depending on the situation I also include that I don't wear it for myself -- I came home safely after two tours -- but for my buddies who didn't make it back or worse are still unaccounted for.

After 15 years in, I say something to the effect of "It's my honor to serve," "It's my pleasure," or just a simple thank you. Sometimes, I respond by initiating a conversation and talking about the military. After all, they brought it up.

https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/a-veteran-s-response-to-thank-you-for-your-service
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-s-the-best-response-for-thank-you-for-your-service-i-like-to-say-this

"Thank you for thanking me" is my usual response.

I was at Walmart, I wear a disabled army veteran hat. An employee, a young man saluted me and thanked me for my service. I simply said you are welcome. sometimes I say it was an honor. these are my two responses. KISS...keep it simple stupid. If someone wants to know more, I'll tell them I served on active duty for over 21 years and was overseas 5 times and I miss being in the army, they were my other family and I miss them dearly. But keep it simple stupid or you might be misinterpreted. Never say anything about loss of life in a war zone. They can't relate.

My responses Is Thankyou. Keep in mind that 50 years ago when I returned State Side we were spat on and call baby killers.

Thank You for being the kind of person who made it worth it.

You know, I really hate that. Most times I hear it is at a couple of big box stores when I use my military discount, some of those folks are sincere but for most its just a platitude that say because they are required to. But for all instances I usually say thank you and continue to march on with my day.
That said, I just went on a KDVA Return to Korea trip and that had over 50 Korea vets travel to Korea (Cold War and Korean War). I felt quite honored by the way we were treated by all we encountered while we were there. I could not say thank you enough.