Today in the United States is Veterans Day. Growing up, I never totally understood what Veterans Day was other than having a day off school. Although I have had many Veterans in my family, including what I later knew in life that my father, I now understand how Important it is to recognize our Veterans on this annual day of recognition.

While my father had always said things about being in the Army growing up, I never totally understood or believed the fact that he was until I became an adult. About two decades ago, our small town was redoing their veterans memorial at which time I had become more interested in my father doing his duty to serve our country. Through proper research and work, we got the paperwork necessary to get his name placed on the town’s “honor roll,” something that he took care of for over three decades as part of his employment with the small town in which he had called home all his life.

It was nothing he or we talked about until my niece invited him to a Veteran’s breakfast at the local high school where there was a program for them in the auditorium and he had to go on stage and declare his branch of service. Back in his time of service, it was something that you did not really talk about doing and then to be recognized for it later on was I know a big thing, but through my persistence and his willingness to get it done, he got on that “honor roll.”

While I am in the past for serving our country, I am now more respectful of our veterans because of my father. Recently, because of his injury, we were able to take him to the local veterans care center and he has been able to get the fairest care that he has been able to get at this point. Being able to go to the care center a few days a week allows me to see those that serve our great nation and how many have needs just as my father does, how loneliness plays a big role in the facility there and there is a great deal of care also given to these individuals who gave their time for their country, so now is the time that they are giving the care they need to them in their challenging needs.

I personally do not know what the journey brings ahead for my father, but I know because of his service to our great nation that he is going to be taken care of and will hopefully someday come back to his house to spend his final years with my mother and I will too be a part of that life more being more respectful than I have been in the past because he deserves it after the many years that I have not been my best towards him when he has done nothing but try his best to help me even when I could not see it. I know he has always had my best interests at heart, and even though there are many veterans who have served this great nation, there is no one that stands out more than my father, the true veteran and warrior.