Thank you to all the veterans who have and continue to serve this nation, as well as others.  I thank you for your courage, your bravery and your honorable service.  Some characterize me as coming from a military family.  And I suppose there is some merit to that since all of the men in my family for as far back as I know have served in every branch of the military with the exception of the Coast Guard.  I know of the sacrifices and the wounds of service members and their families.  I know that however you leave to serve, you do not come back the same–either for the better or the worse.  But you are all to be commended and honored.  For it is because of you that we who live in this country have our freedoms and protections. And it is because of your help in other nations, that they enjoy what some of them have too.  And as far as war, it is you who make it possible that we in the U.S. don’t experience the majority of the horrors of it in our land.  You take the fight to the land of our enemies or the enemies of our allies.

So on this veterans day 2018, may the Eternal Father bless you, protect you, watch over and guide you; heal you, and help you and your families this day and always.  We who belong to the Father pray for your well-being. Although the hymn below is used by the Navy, we all engage in spiritual battles on the sea of life.  So I feel it is appropriate for all of us to beseech the Eternal Father for aid in the voyage of life. The rendition of this naval hymn is short, but it is the most beautiful a capella version I’ve ever heard.

May God bless and keep you always.  I give you my deepest heartfelt thanks for your service.