I was inspired by something Governor Walker did recently. He posted on Facebook about the military service of his uncle and I thought, "What a neat way to remember our veterans."

Instead of telling you about one veteran, though, I decided to share with you a pictorial story about the unit my Dad served with in Vietnam. I put this together a couple years ago to honor these men as they prepared for their first unit reunion.

I am blessed to know several friends and family members who have served or are currently serving our great nation. Siblings, cousins, uncles, parents, grandparents, nephews, college roommates, church members, and more.  Some are conservatives like me but some are liberal in their politics. All are great Americans.  Thank you for serving.

On this most solemn of American holidays I want to share with you a short speech that I wrote in 2003 for a Memorial Day service in La Crosse while I served as chairman of the La Crosse County Republican Party.  I haven't found a better way to convey my feelings about this holiday so please forgive me for simply copying and pasting from an old speech.

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice: So help me God.”

This evening I took the family to church for a special Veteran's Day Service and you can hear the pastor's sermon by visiting our church web site.

The service was very patriotic and I couldn't help but think about the amazing people in my own life who have served our great nation and helped preserve the freedoms that we take for granted all too often.

Many of my relatives are veterans including grandparents, uncles (one who stormed the beaches of Normandy and another who flew Tigers over China), my dad who served in Vietnam, my sister who served in the Navy in the 90's, my cousins who served in the Marine Corps and Navy, and now my nephews who are serving today.

At 6:45 pm on September 11, 2001, I stood in the sacrisity of Peace Lutheran Church in Hartford, WI, vested in my alb and gazing out the picture window oriented to the west. The skies were clear. The orange sun was slipping into the sunset. The air outside seemed still. The mood inside the sanctuary was solemn, the atmosphere pensive. In 15 minutes I would be a co-leader for an impromptu prayer service to help people cope with the atrocities that took place in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania. While I was standing there, the events of the past 10 hours  were looping continuously through my head.

It's amazing what can happen in a day. It's shocking what can happen in a matter of minutes.