This Sunday the citizens of America will get the chance to salute our veterans. On Main Streets in nearly every small town and big city, there will be old warriors marching, some limping, past flag-waving civilians lining the curb. Of course, there will be speeches, music, and respects rendered. All of the adulation is appropriate for the men and women who raised their hand, took an oath, and said: “I’ll do it”.

Nearly all Veterans Day ceremonies live up to the adage “preaching to the choir” because it is always a veteran talking to other veterans and to the families of veterans. With the holiday falling on a Sunday this year, the old adage is even truer. If you regularly attend your community’s ceremony, you can accurately say in advance who will be attending and maybe even where they’ll be standing. During the services, a quick glance at the gathered crowd can raise concern about the health of those who are noticeably absent.

The ceremonies, parades, and banners are for a few hours of just one day. While the recognition is nice, it sometimes falls short for the amount of sacrifice made by our vets. Granted, not all service members felt the sting of battle during a war. But when they signed up they didn’t know if they would or wouldn’t be sent into harm’s way at some far-flung corner of the globe. Most who enter the military complete their four-year tour, then head home.