This Friday, November 11, is Veterans Day. Local High Schools, Elementary schools, Churches and other organizations will hold gatherings to honor all those who have served. Veterans of the United States Military are recognized in ceremonies across the country on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at 11:11 in the morning in celebration of Veterans Day. The purpose of the day is to honor all those who have served or are currently serving and remember those who gave all.

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day and was first celebrated in 1926 after a congressional resolution. Armistice Day was celebrated on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at 11:11 a.m., the exact day and time that World War I ended in 1918. Years later in 1954, a Bill proposed by a Kansas Senator officially changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. In 1968, a law was introduced that changed Veterans Day briefly to the fourth Monday of October. It became quickly apparent that November 11 was such a historic day, that Congress in 1978, returned the day of observance back to November 11.

Blaine County has always been a strong supporter of local Veterans and the tradition of honoring Veterans has expanded well beyond just a single day. This year the Journal reached out to Veterans in the community and family members of Veterans to get their take on what the day means to them.

Emily Schofield is incredibly proud of her family's service, "With our family's history rich in veterans, Veteran's day is always a day of proud reflection for me. From the Civil War through even today, my relatives have bravely served our country. I appreciate that there is a day to call attention to the brave people that serve the country."

Corey Morgan, a longtime resident of Blaine County and a Veteran himself had this to say about Veterans Day, "I think Veterans Day is a day to remember all the veterans who made the decision to serve. Past and present veterans, family members, friends, coworkers, and community members. I like to thank veterans that served before us, especially Vietnam War veterans. They served at a different times where a lot of people didn't agree with the conflict and therefore, they weren't always treated the best. But yes, definitely a day to thank a veteran for their service. Maybe treat them to a meal or maybe hear their stories and help them heal."

Don Richman is another Veteran that is happy to see Veterans have a day to be recognized, "In my mind, one of the things about it that means the most was how I was treated when we returned home from Vietnam. We were treated like dog doo-doo and now I have people coming up to me and thanking me for my service and it really means a lot to me. I think a lot of that has to do with Veterans Day Ceremonies, getting the knowledge about the day out to those who haven't served and bringing awareness to the sacrifices of those who gave all." Richman added, "The most important thing to me in my life is my Lord and Savior but second is my love for my country and I truly believe we live in the greatest country on earth and if it wasn't for our Veterans, we would be speaking a different language. I think one of the most honorable things you can call somebody is a Veteran. Right now there are just two of us active in the Harlem VFW. I also handle all the Color Guard funeral services in Harlem and the Big Flat, between Perry Miller in Chinook and myself we pretty much cover Blaine County.

Perry Miller is honored to have served his country and appreciates the service of every Veteran, "It means that we are still the greatest free country to me in the world and that is only because of the men and women and the sacrifices made by all those who served before us. It's because of those men and women that we have the freedom of religion, freedom to vote how we choose and all of the other freedoms that come along with being a citizen of this great country. Even with things today and all the craziness in Washington between politicians, we still have those freedoms because of our Veterans and to have a day to celebrate them only brings awareness to their dedicated service to the country."

Tammy Edwards enjoys seeing Veterans get the respect they deserve, "I think it's very important to recognize and thank those who have served this country. The sacrifices many in our own community have made are worthy of our praise and respect. I love to see the pride on a veteran's face when they talk about their time in the military. In the classroom, it's a great opportunity to explain the branches of the military and to discuss why the holiday exists. Many children like to tell about their parent's or grandparent's experiences in the military or to talk about someone they know who is in the service."