I have been thinking about the veterans in my family again recently. I appreciate the service of my stepfather Al (above) and my uncle Jim (helmet below) in the Vietnam War. I try to imagine what it must have been like and what they might have endured. And I hope they both have a great day and receive the respect they deserve.

I am also thinking about my great great grandfather John Stuart (below). He enlisted in the Army in the Civil War. He was wounded at Champion Hills in 1863. He lived with this injury in his shoulder until he ultimately died of it being infected in 1883, leaving a widow with 8 children.

So here’s to all the veterans, past and present, wounded and physically intact. And to their families that suffered in their absences.