Saluting our veterans!

 Today is Veterans Day, a time to thank all those living veterans who have served our country and to remember those brave men and women who gave their lives in service or have served in years past and have passed from this life.
There are services planned to honor them today, and some eateries are offering free meals or drinks as a way to say thank you.
But we should remember our veterans every day. There are many veterans who are now in nursing homes, many who are alone in their own homes, many who are homeless.
There are many wounded service people now back in the states, trying to get their lives in order once more. There are widows and widowers of those who have served; there are children whose parents have died in service to this country.
There are veteran organizations struggling to keep their doors open and maintain their services.
Yes, there are many opportunities to aid our veterans today that will also honor those who have served in the past.
If you can attend a service today, please do so. But also look for ways to daily honor those who are serving now or have served in the past.
And I would like to salute the veterans in my family, and offer just a few photos of those men and women.
The photos are of those who served in World War II. They are gone from this Earth, but live forever in our hearts.

My uncle, Edward "Buck" Harper

My uncle, Michael Harper

My mother-in-law, Helen Gerber Breaux Umberger