I wish to thank all servicemen and servicewomen - past, present and future, for the sacrifices they have made and continue to make to keep our country, safe, strong and free. Between my dad John, my brother Robert and his wife Judy, my daughter Coral and her husband Ivan, my sister Tiffany, my brother-in-law Wordell, my friends Gregg Murray, Don Canon, Paul Soodoo, Craig Clark and Michael Pendergrass, we have over 100 years of military service (not counting all the other good people I've served with). Our duty to this great nation has, at one time or another, put each of us in harm's way. My dad was a paratrooper in the Army during the Korean War, my brother and his wife were both food service specialists during the crisis in Lebanon and during the first Gulf War. I was a fire control technician in the Navy and sailed in hostile waters on many occasions. My daughter and son-in-law are in the Marine Corp and have both completed tours in Iraq (she's actually out of the military now and is raising our lovely grandson, Ivan, Jr.). Let us all pray for a peaceful end to all the world's conflicts so we can all be united with our loved ones.

During Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake calls on Americans to recognize the nation's 23.4 million living veterans and the generations before them who fought to protect freedom and democracy.

Also, if you have a blog, a hubpage, or a Twitter account, or My Space, etc., take a moment out of your day to post a few words expressing your support for our troops around the world. Or just post a comment below.

Thanks and have a great day!