Editorial
Honoring veterans
Oct. 31, the president of the United

States of America, George W. Bush made a Veterans Day proclamation in which he described veterans as "America's men and women in uniform" who have "defeated tyrants, liberated continents, and set a standard of courage and idealism for the entire world."

America's veterans are those heroes. But we also know them by other names - as mom, dad, brother, sister, grandfather, aunt. These men and women are our families, they are our hope. They are the men and women who teach the rest of the world every day to do what is right and what is courageous, and when they come home, they are there to tuck us in at night and guide our dreams.

Veterans Day is a holiday that should be celebrated with the utmost honor and respect, for without these individuals our homes and our tables would be bare.

On Saturday residents throughout the region will be celebrating Veterans Day not just in honor of all the family members who have fought for our communities, but for those who have fought for the entire country. Without the sacrifices made by our country's veterans, would be the warm, prosperous and welcoming communities that they are today.

It is not enough to simply acknowledge the day as a tribute, as a thank-you. It is not enough to simply call Veterans Day a holiday. Each man and woman who has served this country has been changed by the experience, has been touched to the very core of their beings by the things they have seen and done for their country so that their families, their friends, people they have never even met can sleep together and sleep soundly at night.

A great many will never know what it was like to fight for life and liberty in World War II, Vietnam and Desert Storm, but a great many will. This day is not just a day to recognize valor, it is a day to recognize perseverance and strength through heartbreak and hardships.

This Veterans Day, remember those who have fought for us, as they never forgot what they were fighting for.

We should also thank and work with those who help our veterans and servicemen and women through the auxilaries.