Honoring Veterans Day

A veteran is someone who made a choice most people will never have to make — to put their life, time, and comfort second so our country could come first.

They trained for long hours, moved from place to place, deployed far from home, and stood ready to protect people they would never meet.

Veterans miss milestones most of us take for granted: birthdays, holidays, first steps, last moments, and everyday life with the people they love.

Their families serve too.

Spouses, parents, and children live with the unknowns, the distance, the worry, the empty seats at the table. They handle the goodbyes, the homecomings, and everything in between. Their support is part of the sacrifice — the kind many people never see but is felt deeply.

A veteran isn’t just someone who “used to be in the military.”

A veteran is someone who carried responsibility beyond their years, who stood watch so others could sleep peacefully, and who gave pieces of themselves so the rest of us could live in freedom.

Today, on Veterans Day, we pause to recognize that sacrifice — the visible and the unseen — and to say thank you to every veteran who has served with courage, honor, and heart.

Thank you, veterans. We appreciate you today and every day.