LETTER: A tribute to our veterans

Saints walk among us. Those who earned a Medal of Honor, Bronze Star, Silver Star or Purple Heart because they valued someone else’s life more than their own.

They are wrinkled, gray, dim of sight and weak of limb. They can’t remember what they had for lunch yesterday, but they can recall the day, the weather and the event with every detail during their service. They remember every name of every guy in their squad.

Smooth muscles that carried wounded men off the battlefield now sag with loose skin and require the help of a cane to rise. But they will always struggle to stand and salute our flag.

Heroes … and we wouldn’t recognize them. They are the ones who ran into harm’s way to rescue some of our fathers, uncles, grandfathers, mothers and daughters. They laid down their lives so you can have yours.

I get emotional over this. I’m astounded by this group of men and women who left everything to protect our country and our freedom.

But there’s another group. Our younger veterans personify the values of honor, commitment and resilience that define us as Americans. This Veterans Day, let us honor the sacrifices of our younger veterans with gratitude and action. Let’s mentor them, hire them and ensure their voices are heard by the communities they fought to protect.

Let’s transform our thanks into tangible support: Volunteer for veteran organizations, listen to their stories and we can help bridge the civilian-military divide.