Well, another Veterans Day is history.
Hopefully we will not wait until Memorial Day or the next Veterans Day to give another thought to our veterans.
Many of us thanked and honored our veterans in articles and with thoughtful comments — some here at TMV — in person or by just keeping them in our thoughts.
But how did veterans observe their Day?
Below are some images reflecting what some of them did on Veterans Day or in the days leading up to it.
But we must not forget that tens of thousands of our veterans spent Veterans Day in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, halfway houses and on the streets of our towns and cities: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that 49,933 veterans are homeless on any given night — that would have been the night of Veterans Day, too. (Symbolized by the lead photo, courtesy VA)).
Color guards representing the military branches and various organizations walk past audience members during the National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. (U.S. Air Force photo/Sean Kimmons)
Air Force Staff Sgt. Louis Hurst and son, Ethan, place a flag beside a burial site at the Utah Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Bluffdale, Utah, Nov. 10, 2015. More than 100 airmen from Hill Air Force Base participated in the flag-placing detail organized by the Air Force Sergeants Association Chapter 1163. U.S. Air Force photo by R. Nial Bradshaw
Sailors hold the national ensign as they march during the NYC Veterans Day Parade. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Martin L. Carey
Veterans and U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Barry Cornish, commander of the 18th Wing, salute the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action wreath during a Veterans Day ceremony on Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 11, 2015. The veterans are members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9723. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lynette M. Rolen
Retired Army Lt. Col. Luta C. McGrath, the oldest living veteran, receives a standing ovation after President Barack Obama mentioned her during a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Nov. 11, 2015. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Kelley
Navy Seaman Kevin Carranza enjoys a slice of pizza while participating in Veterans Day events in New York City, Nov. 9, 2015. Carranza is a hospitalman apprentice assigned to the USS New York. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Brian McNeal
The U.S. Air Force Band performs for a live audience at the Maryland Public Television studio during a recording of the band’s Veterans Day tribute in Owings Mills, Md., Nov. 6, 2015. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua R. M. Dewberry
Chris Farley, U.S. Navy veteran and National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific caretaker, reads the names of fallen service members at the cemetery in Honolulu, Oct. 28, 2015. Farley served in the Navy from 1982 to 1987 and is responsible for the maintenance of the 112.5 acres of land that make up the cemetery. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal.
Army Maj. Zach Rolf poses for a photo with his father and Vietnam War veteran, Lynn Rolf, after the Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Ceremony at Marshall Army Airfield on Fort Riley, Kan., Nov. 6, 2015. U.S. Army photo
U.S. sailors assigned to Naval Air Facility Atsugi raise the American flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo To, Japan, Nov. 9, 2015. The sailors visited the island, also known as Iwo Jima, to honor the sacrifice of service members from both nations and to raise the flag to mark Veterans Day and World War II events. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan G. Greene
And of course the vast majority of our active duty veterans did what they do best, every day: Protect our nation around the world.
Edited to change “half-way homes” to “halfway houses”
Photos and captions, except as noted: DOD
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.