Today we pay tribute and give thanks to Americans who have served our country. In war or peace; in Afghanistan or Arizona; in the Coast Guard, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Army, and National Guard; in the mountains, plains, waterways, and ports — they have answered our country’s call to protect American borders and our way of life.
Veterans Day asks us to honor their service, a request that on the surface seems easy enough. But sometimes we push that request aside. We’re busy wondering where the car keys are. We’re looking through the newspaper for Veterans Day sales. Did I reschedule that dentist appointment? Is there enough chicken for dinner tonight?
It makes sense for these distractions to fill our minds; it’s much easier to take stock of the fridge than it is to reflect on current conflicts, past wars, and ongoing sacrifices.
Veterans Day, however, is far more than a shopping day for past and present service members and their families, who rarely get to forget. We can help honor them today by choosing to remember vets in our thoughts and conversations. I hope you will.
AAUW Dialog 
Thanks to all the men and women who protect our country; as a person who worked for the DOD as a Civil Service person in Logistics I can relate to the security that they provide, and protect our homeland security, domestically and abroad.
Frances LeBouex-McCrary, MBA/GM
Thank you for this timely reminder. My husband is a Vietnam vet, and when I acknowledged and thanked him today, he was touched that someone remembered his years of duty and hardship. He never talks of his experiences there, will not visit the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC, because of the horrors and sadness he witnessed. After his duty was over and he had returned home, he learned that his crew had been shot down in the C130 they used to fly.