When I was a  kid, growing up in Yakima, Washington, Veterans Day was a big deal.  My dad marched in the parade with fellow veterans and proudly carried the American flag.  Both my parents were part of the war effort during World War II.  Mom served as a welder,  building ships in the Portland shipyards while Dad was overseas.  Dad was captured by the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge and spent the remainder of the war in a POW camp inside Germany.  My parents knew what it meant to serve their country as countless men and women continue to do to this day.  In memory of my parents, and for all those past and present who have sacrificed for our freedom, I want to say thank you.  God bless America.

On Monday we celebrate Veterans Day.  For years my father proudly marched in the veterans parade in my home town of Yakima, Washington.  He served in the Army during World War II, was captured toward the end of the war, and held as a prisoner of war in Germany.

My father was fiercely proud of his role in the war and became active in the local VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars).  My parents were part of the Greatest Generation and I am exceedingly proud to be their daughter.

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said something along the lines of:  IF YOU ENJOY YOUR FEEDOM, THANK A VET.  Today I’d like to thank my father and the hundreds of thousands of men and women who honorably serve our country; whether they served in the past or serve today.