“My cousin got married this Veterans Day, and most of the family was there — uncles, second cousins, grandkids. We came from all over the Southeast from our varied lives, but there’s one thing we have in common: my granddad, Jim Lee.
He served in the United States Navy during WWII. Granddad didn’t talk much about his service until closer to the end of his life, when he went on an Honor Flight, with his oxygen tank in tow. And there was the time my uncle presented him with three medals he earned but never received — American Campaign, Victory Medal and the Good Conduct Medal — in an intimate ceremony in front of the family in his living room. It was then when I really understood how my grandfather’s service helped shape the great man he was. And, looking around the room, how his service helped build our family. Service doesn’t stop after retirement or discharge; it continues in everyday life. That’s why we should celebrate Veterans Day every day, because every veteran lives his or her service daily.” – Karen Lee, Senior Director of Communication