Each day is Veteran's Day. They should never be forgotten. When the opportunity arises, I say "Thank You" to each veteran I meet. I've had the opportunity to buy lunch for a soldier, and his mother, on leave from Iraq. I spoke with a Marine veteran when visiting in another city in another state and said "Thank You." And when our local veteran's ride by in a parade, I stand in honor of them and their fallen friends.

I've been to the wall, at night, and it meant so much, even if I didn't know anyone listed. Yes, I cried.

Thanks for the video and "THANK YOU" to all veteran's and their families!!!!!!!!

You can find the artist and back-story at this web address. http://www.terry-kelly.com/pittance.htm

Thank you to all Vets, past and present! I served, and my spouse still serves on Active Duty. Many times we all take our freedom, and the wonderful bounty this country offers us, for granted. If it weren't for the Vets, we wouldn't have what we do.

Never forget the Vet!

Thank you Mike for the comments re Veteran's Day. As a veteran myself I have long closed my offices and businesses on November 11th. I also make it a point to teach my son (he's 16) to honor veterans.

I too am a Viet Nam veteran, having served on PBRs (River Patrol Boats) in "The Delta" during the 1968-69 offensive. Over the years, I have visited many war memorials and National Cemetaries through out our great country. I must say however it was not until I visited "The Wall" on the mall in Washington several years ago that I openly and almost uncontrollably wept. It was a cold & windy gray December afternoon when I took my young son with me to see the Viet Nam memorial. I remember, as the tears rolled down my face and my nose began to run uncontrollably, him asking me what was wrong. All I could say to him iwas "Son, I love you, and you have no idea how fortunate you are to grow up in this country". I explained to him that this wall, with its thousands of engraved names upon its surface, represents the thousands of young men & women who went to war, and died while supporting the ideals of this great land. I pray often, that he never has to be placed in that same position that I was in, and may never have to make a decision to fire a weapon at another human being.

I have visited "The Wall" and am not the same person as a result. My family and I witnessed one veteran taking "many" etchings of names from what we figure were his comrades he lost in the war. We witnessed a second veteran litereally wailing in grief as he leaned on the wall. Those two scenes are forever sealed in our memory. Our visit was in 1998, and we still talk about it from time to time as though it was yesterday.

I highly encourage everyone to make the trip to DC and especially make time to visit "The Wall".

Veterans do just fine. If you can survive the training and the deployments, civilian life is a piece of cake. The only things that gall me as a veteran are the portrayals of vets as losers in need of nanny-state mother-love care. If you read "We Were Soldiers" or "Band of Brothers" or "A Bridge Too Far" or "Blackhawk Down" or any other history of past wars, go to the back to the "where are they now" section. You will find that 95-99 percent of the veterans went on to successful meaningful and productive lives. It's a much higher percentage than the civilian world.

If the world deals me a bad hand, I'm not freezing in the sub zero cold on the DMZ or sweltering in the desert heat. I've had worse. I'll bounce back.

When a certain politician who was booted out of the service and had to get his discharge upgraded later, who nearly flunked out of college, who never held a real job, and who owes his wealth to trading up on rich widows basically said we're all stupid, I have to laugh. We have the best educated, best trained, and most dedicated service members in the world. If we replaced congress with the least smart and worst educated active duty military folks of today, we'd more than double the IQ average and education level on Capitol Hill. My GPA was twice this politician's and my SAT score was a good 200 points higher. And I earn my own living - no sugar momma needed.

Of my Dad's generation, I didn't know anyone who WASN'T a vet. Even my Mother served in the Navy in the Fleet Post Office to "free a man to fight." Today where I work, me and my boss are the only two vets in the company.

We do just fine. If you have a kid that's screwing up or doesn't appreciate what he has going for him, there is always a friendly Sergeant with a round hat ready to straighten him out and set him on the path to future success.

Mike,

Thanks for observing Vererans day. I have always made much of Nov.11 each year. I made my mind up years ago to take off work on this day regardless if I was paid or not. This is the least I could do to honor all those that paid the price for our freedom and those that are serving now.

Hats off to you Mike for the tributr to Veterans Mike. Great video clip.

Thank you Electrician and Veteran

Another good reminder from Mike & Team. Really gives pause - something to remember each and every year. Brings to mind my late uncle Air Force Full Coronal Lloyd Hightower who was shot down over Vietnam, but luckily was rescued & recovered, serving on for years following. What actually brought him down was his mail & ID Stolen several years ago. He stressed out big time dealing with the damage & went straight downhill, passing on just following everything cleaned up. He stated at the time: "This is an enemy without ID, You don't really know who to be aware of." Something our men and women are facing daily overseas even today. Let's all give them a warm thought on a daily basis. Remember 911 & how that felt? Other country's are feeling that daily. Glad to be free & born in the USA!, but not taking it for granted;-)

Thank You Mike, I am a proud 3rd generation veteran. I worked on veterans day, not because I had to but because it was in gods plan for me to be alive and able to work. It was crazy though, the whole day only one person said thanks for serving. That was my dad, another veteran. Too many times veterans are overlooked. If our veterans are overlooked are our fallen brothers even more forgotten by the general public? I pray each night that the fallen will not be forgotten, I pray for thier families, and I pray for our country. I pray that our future warfighters are just as tough and dedicated as my dad was and my grandpa was. They are some of my heroes! Thank you mike for helping to honor those who served and those who fell defending the greatest nation there ever was.

My father served in the Marine Corps during WWII and saw action in most of the Pacific Campaigns. My brother and I both served in the Marines, he for 4 1/2 years and me for 20 1/2 years with stops in VietNam and few more "summer vacation spots". A lot of friends names are on the "WALL" and a lot more that should be on something similar because their 'time' didn't happen to be in VietNam, but definately was while defending and supporting freedom. Some say, "the invisible veteran", but those of us that knew them, served with them, we are unable to forget them, we hear them, we SEE them and are Honored to know that others can get a glimpse of THEM at the Wall. Not just from a name etched in stone, but from the glimpses of and conversations with the "ones who were left behind to share their memories". Semper Fi !! Thanks Mike

Thank you Mike,

I saw this one a couple of days ago and it brought chills to me. My Father-in-law is a WW2 vet and POW. He is 87 years old and currently is a resident of the Delaware VA nursing home. I have listened to him tell of his experiences over the years and I can only say that we owe all of our armed service men and women an enormous amount of respect and admiration.

I don't think for a minute that I could have endured what he (and others) did.

God Bless our Veterans and God Bless you Mike for putting this out there for others to see...

All should view this video. If you agree or disagree with any war our men and women did what they did to protect our freedom and those of others and should be honored with more then some schools and federal,state etc.offices being closed or some BIG Veterans day sale somewhere.

Thank you to all veterans past present and future.

My Dad was in WWII, My bother was in Nam, and I did my time in the sand.

My prayer is we don't forget the vets and we don't have to make more.

It reminds me of a quote that I read a few months ago:

"Only 2 people have ever died for the good of all mankind; Jesus Christ and the American Soldier."

Thank you

Thanks for sharing Mike and Pat. On a few occasions I have made it to local Veteran's Day ceremonies to show my respects and it always amazes how very little turnout there is. During parades, it's usually not our Veterans who get the biggest applause or the cheers from the crowds. It's sad. I'll make it a point to visit one ceremony each year and continue to share with my son why remembering our Veteran's is so important. We need to teach our children and those around us at parades that it's a good thing to yell out a big "THANK YOU" as the Vets walk on by and give them robust standing applause with gratitude on our faces!

Thanks Mike

as we all Know freedom is not free. luckly the price has been and continues to be paid.

God Bless our troups everywhere.

To all Veterans, Thank you for the gift of living in Freedom. I agree with Mike. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have the very freedom that I take for granted everyday. God Bless You and the United States of America.

Who's the artist?

Job Well Done. This should be seen by all and more than one day a year.

Jerry

Thank you Mike,

It brought tears to my eyes. My dad was with the Queen's Own Camren Highlanders in WWII through France, Belgium and Holland, before being wounded. The Bag Pipes acompanied him to rest in 1996. I was with B/159th Avn Btn, 101st Airborn, CH-47 Flight Engineer, August 1969-September 1970. I've done okay but retain many unseen wounds.

Thanks again for this tribute

Thanks Mike,

I'm ex-Army, came home from VietNam in 1970. After my "welcome home" I almost went back. It's nice to see that some people do special things to honor the military veterans in this country.

Thanks for remembering the "Veterans".

If you can go to the Wall, DO IT, If you can go to the wall on Memorial Day, DO IT TWICE...... once before attending the ceremonies at Arlington in the morning and again after the wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. "He visited the wall. He cried there." You too, will feel the emotion rise up in your throat, and yes, you too will cry there. I do each year I can go .

Just be prepared to courteously wait in line for the folks who were there "in country" to have their time with their Brothers encased in the writing on the Wall.

You won't regret it, go and pay respects to our Sons, Fathers & Brothers, Daughters and Sisters who never made it back and the ones who are still waiting to be repatriated.

Yes, like your medic friend, you too, will cry there. Ron

the wall in DC is very emotional, be prepared people are always leaving lots of personal items at the wall there are wall rubbings always going on also there is usually someone there with paper and pencil to help with rubbing a name off the wall someone has top pick up all the gifts left behind each day