September is National Courtesy Month, and a Stratford veteran is on a mission to promote awareness.

Businessman and a combat veteran Prez Palmer says courtesy is not just being polite to others, it's also critical in the business world.

A former commander for the U.S. Special Forces Training Battalion at Fort Bragg, Palmer says has a no tolerance policy for rudeness.

Palmer tells News 12 the awareness month was started in Singapore in 1979 and then spread around the world. It's now seen as a way to promote good business practices in the private sector and keep the peace in both politics and the military.

"There's a high degree of courtesy and respect in the military," Palmer says. "That's definitely something that was ingrained in me from day one of basic training, because through being courteous to others, people see that you are respectful."