Go on social media. Tell a relative that served thank you. Our school does such an awesome job with this every Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. Those videos they show where a service member comes home after a leave and surprises their family. Nothing better. Nothing.

i teach 6th grade world geography and societies. we are writing letters and drawing pictures to veterans today in class and sending them to Operation Gratitude so that they can send them on to deployed troops, veterans, new recruits, or wounded warriors.

thank you veterans....i am too big of a wuss to have joined the military!

The Noble and the Brave:
A Veteran’s Day Tribute

When America had an urgent need,
These brave ones raised a hand;
No hesitation held them back;
They were proud to take a stand.

They left their friends and family;
They gave up normal life;
To serve their country and their God,
They plowed into the strife.

They fought for freedom and for peace
On strange and foreign shores;
Some lost new friends; some lost their lives
In long and brutal wars.

Other veterans answered a call
To support the ones who fought;
Their country had requirements for
The essential skills they brought.

We salute every one of them,
The noble and the brave,
The ones still with us here today,
And those who rest in a grave.

So here’s to our country’s heroes;
They’re a cut above the rest;
Let’s give the honor that is due
To our country’s very best.

By Joanna Fuchs

Have two I'm very grateful for.

My Maternal Grandfather, who served in the 12th Armored Division "Hell on Wheels" in Belguim, France, Luxembourg, Germany, and finally Austria during The Big One! He had frostbitten toes from the run to relieve Bastogne, and his stories from the war inspired my love for history and specifically World War II history.

My Father, who guarded H-bombs at Simbach Air Force base at the height of the Cold War in the late 1950's. His own father died before he could be rushed home to see him one last time.

These were the two most influential men in my life and I am grateful for their service.

I taught with a guy for 8 years I didn't know served in Intel at the Pentagon. Chemistry teacher. Brilliant guy. His wife posted his old Military ID. Proud of the guy.

Members of the U.S. military, past and present, will always have a special place in my heart. I will always be grateful for their service and sacrifice.