My great-grandfather served in Europe with the USMC in World War I. My grandfather was a Navy man who served in the Pacific in World War II and later in Korea. My dad was part of an Air Force K-9 unit in Vietnam. My brother is currently halfway through his 18th year in the Army and served in the first Persian Gulf War, Panama, Afghanistan, and twice more in Iraq, and he also helped with the recovery effort at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11.

Suffice it to say that Veterans Day holds a very sentimental place in my heart…so even though it’s a day late, God bless our Veterans, currently active military or not, wherever they can be found.

Yesterday was Veterans Day. Today I want to thank all of you behind the scenes who have supported our Veterans. As a Vietnam Veteran and Father of an Iraqi Veteran, I know first hand how important that is. From the bottom of my heart I thank YOU the Veterans Supporters.

On Veteran%u2019s Day we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.

Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it%u2019s been many years;

In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.

Some came back; some didn%u2019t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.

No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.

Let every veteran be honored;
Don%u2019t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can%u2019t repay.

We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let%u2019s say “thank you” to every wearer.

By Joanna Fuchs