I do not have a long heritage of Veterans in my family. My paternal grandfather served in WW! in the Royal Canadian Army. My father was exempted as his brother enlisted in WWII and at the time, one son could be left to care for the family (that was what I was told). That would have been my Dad. My uncle had never married and was young (early 20s). He had saved all the $ he had made in a few years as an administrative secretary to Fischer (of the Fischer Body Company in Detroit, MI) No one knew what Uncle Bill had done - enlisting, saving his money. On the day he left, he gave his younger brother, my Dad, a briefcase which held all the $$ he'd saved saying something like, "Of all of us 4, you are the one to go to college and this will help". My Dad ended up going to Michigan Tech and earning a degree in Electrical Engineering. You have cable TV today partly because of him. After he died, I learned from his cronies, how instrumental my father was in not only Cable TV but in the design and laying of transatlantic cable. So he served his country in other ways.

My husband served in the Viet Nam years - teaching GIs how to build air strips. He never saw Viet Nam - at the very last minute his orders were changed. His brother in law was one of many who served and returned changed forever and still dealing with PTSD.

Hmm. Never meant to carry on…(Nan, I'm talking and I can't shut up!)

You are welcome for hosting today. As a Veteran this is a tiny way I can honor those who preceded me and those who are still serving as well as those who will serve in our future.

Modest Genius - Thank you for reposting here. Great photos the the different views you used. That last one is so majestic.

Roadrunner - Now how can we compare to those photos. Love em. My family finds it unusual that I always wear my hat now. I never wore them before. I stuck my Air Assault wings on it, my sniper badge, of course I have my expert rifle/pistol badge on it. Then after my injuries I worked for Secretary of the Army Dr. Francis J Harvey and them Mr. Peter Geren. so I wear my Department of the Army Staff Badge too. So yes I would say I am proud too. Thank you for sharing

Clicker - Fantastic photos as usual. Love those sad images of fallen soldiers, LEST WE FORGET!!!

MG - It was my pleasure to serve all of you wonderful people. There were times during my service that I doubted my service and those I was serving, but the first time I got off the airplane when we returned from deployment, there were crowds of people standing there cheering for us and thanking us. Since then I never doubted any of it again. I remembered that there are people out there who appreciate the sacrifices our soldiers are making. Thank you for thanking me! That is fine with your widcard. Hey if you have a family member that served feel free to post some. Archives are welcome too. I mean we aren't understanding people or anything you know LOL.

Subroto - Thank you for the comment. I totally agree with you. There are several countries that are debris ridden from war. Some will probably never recover and none will fully recover at all. Thank you for the enlightenment.

Rivernan - Sometimes it is better to say nothing than to not know what to say. It is what you show and not what you say. Thank you For Wom The Bell Tolls!! Excellent photos by the way.

Judy - Thank you! a Handsome guy indeed, But U think he is the lucky one.

Nan - Did you know that in the Army, we are not allowed to smile in our official photos? Your cousin has a great smile, bright and warming. I bet he warms up the room huh. Great photo thank you for posting.

Sue Jay - It is awesome that those young ones understand the meaning. It makes me smile to see them paying tributre. After all they are our future. Thanks for sharing. The band seems to lighten the mood a bit on days and events like these.

Plessner - That is a site I know so well. Them boots and kevlar helmets mounted like that on top of the rifle. At one of the camps we were at in Iraq, there was an entire field of them for the soldiers that had fallen. It got to the point at one time that the leadership was telling soldiers to buy an extra pair of boots. Thank you! The memorials in D.C. are great. When I worked in D.C. the Executive Officer for the Secretary of the Army was the commader for the Old Guard (Honor Guard). We got to watch the changing of the guard. The discipline that it takes to be in this elite group is amazing. They stitch thier own uniforms by hand and spend hours upon hours every single day making their uniforms look great.

Dansmith - Wow that is an amazing part of history right there. It is sad that awards are given to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice instead of those that are still living and being brave everyday. I hate the fact that they call the Medal of Honor "winners", winners. What did they win besides a medal to wear on their uniform in their casket? and those that are still living that "Won" didn't really win anything. Just a medal to hang up on the wall and a title that... yes is a "symbol" that shows the calibur of a man. But other than that has no meaning. A few extra dollars for saving the lives of fellow soldiers and losing a bunch of friends. In my personal opinion, I think every soldier on those frontlines should get the same respect. We are all expected to act on these values.

SheenaghGebhard - That is a very sad story but I am glad that you shared it. Love the photos what a great tribute.

Dane - Thank you for your service! nice tribute!

Georgiann - It is not the calibur of your comments it is the aoppreciation you show that counts. Excellent photos and a great tribute.

Oneyedjack - Thank you for your service. I like that photo and I hate it at the same time. Only beacause of what it resembles.

Pat (Mom) - Thank you. Love your photos and the story about your family. It is great to know your family history and share it with us and the younger generation in your family so that they can understand how it came to be. Your Father was a great man. He honored his brother by doing as he asked. In return he was able to have a beautiful family that can be proud to call him family. Thank you for sharing. Thank your dad for cable!! LOL that is a truley amazing story.

Pat, thank you for sharing your family's history so beautifully. I was totally captivated by your remembrance and enjoyed it so much! Your accompanying photos are amazing as well! (Pg. 4)

Hello everyone and sorry for the late link. I spent half the day today taking photos for today's challenge. I took more than 300 pictures.

Today is a very special day for us. A day we can take out to say thank you to the individuals that are risking their lives to protect our freedom. Of course I didn't have to tell you that but I wantd to point out a few things I have noticed.

A "Veteran" doesn't necessarily mean someone who has been at war. Of course anytime people in general talk about this subject war is usually the topic that comes up. There are many individuals that serve in the military that will not see war, but that does not mean that hey arenot serving their country. Every job in the military is important... Whether a soldier sits behind a desk or is out rolling around in the mud. That soldier that has the so called "coosh job" has a lot of responsibilities as well. It is this person's responsibility to ensure that those soldier's on the front lines are getting paid, medical records are straight, promotion records are straight, life insurance policies are correct.... I think you get the point I am trying to make. I probably would have been wrapped up in that bunch of people that talked about those soldiers... saying they weren't really "soldiers" in those jobs. If it was not for me getting injured during my lst mission, I would have never learned to appreciate them. I turned into one of them pencil pushers at the end of my career because my injuries prevented me from doing my assigned job. Please consider this when posting your photos today.

OKAY... So I was thinking for today it can kind of be a free for all with one exception.... It MUST pertain to Veterans Day. You can post photos of a person you know who is or was a veteran. It can be a memorial for veterans. Remember therer are also veteran police and firefighters too so lets not forget them too. They protect our homefront. I would like to see something unique from your town that honors these veterans.

The last thing is HAVE FUN!!!