Veterans Day may be over, but the images of our veterans will be with us for a long time:
President Barack Obama and Army Sgt. 1st Class Chad Stackpole lay a wreath to mark Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Nov. 11, 2012. Stackpole, sergeant of the guard for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, is assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard.”
A New York crowd waves flags and cheers for Marines as they marched in the annual Veterans Day parade in New York, Nov. 11, 2012. Since November 11, 1919, the parade has provided an opportunity for Americans and international visitors in the nation’s largest city to honor those who have served. The Marines are assigned to the 6th Communications Battalion, Marine Forces Reserve.
A Navajo code talker veteran watches the opening ceremony for the 93rd anniversary of the Veterans Day Parade in New York, Nov. 11, 2012. Since Nov. 11, 1919, the parade has provided an opportunity for Americans and international visitors in the nation’s largest city to honor those who have served.
U.S. Army Gen Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, bows his head after laying a wreath at the 8th Army Memorial in Yongsan, South Korea, Nov 11, 2012. Dempsey is in the region to visit U.S. troops on Veterans Day and further military-to-military relations.
Marines prepare to enter the Veterans Day Parade in New York, Nov. 11, 2012. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Flurry
Ruderick Quitcon, a Marine Corps veteran who is blind, attends the Veterans Day Parade in New York, Nov. 11, 2012. “If I could see, I would be happier, but it sounds beautiful,” he said of the event. Quitcon served in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1970 and was assigned to the 1st Marine Division.
Members of the New York chapter of the Montfort Point Marine Association march in the 2012 New York City Veterans Day Parade in New York, Nov. 11, 2012.
Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, his wife, Stephanie, and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg march in the Veterans Day Parade, in New York, Nov. 11, 2012.
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta shakes hands with World War II Veterans after placing a wreath at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Veterans Day, Nov 11, 2012. Panetta stopped in Hawaii as he began a day trip to Australia and Asia
All photos and captions: DoD
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.