Veterans Day is November 11th. Our wars and our conflicts have been many and have strung on too long. Perhaps we should follow suit and string Veterans Day longer. Maybe we should devote the whole month of November to these noble people who serve our country. If October can be Breast Cancer Awareness Month scattered with pink ribbons why not November with yellow ribbons? Has your workplace shown special gratitude? For several years my husband's place of employment has had a recognition celebration with cake, candy, flags, photos and personal thank yous. He says there are about 8-12 that are honored. At our church veterans are recognized and asked to stand. I am always so proud. At one time I would have seen three of my own standing. . . .my dad, husband and son. Dad is gone now. WWII vets are fading from us fast. Korean War vets are with us and Viet Nam vets. I don't know much about the Korean War. I have no relatives from that conflict. Viet Nam was a draft situation and my friends and husband served. I was the bride of two weeks when my husband (who volunteered with the Navy) left me in tears at the airport. There were no emails, Youtube, cell phones or Skype. We talked once when he made his way through a long line at a pay phone in Japan. Once in a while I would receive in the mail a roll of film in a canister that I would immediately have developed. We wrote letters every day. As I remember, daily the Indianapolis Star would run a column on the back page of the front section honoring a fallen Hoosier Soldier. Could it really have been daily? It certainly seemed so. Then one day I saw David Robert's name. He was my senior prom date. Looking at that back page daily reminds me of the movie Gone With the Wind when Scarlett rode her wagon in to Atlanta to join others to read the posted list of the dead and wounded fighting in the Civil War. I have a great grandfather who fought in the Civil War. At the time he was the youngest to graduate from Michigan's med school. He was a young doctor on the front lines who kept an in depth journal that we have copies of. It is fascinating. What a trip through time to the "shock and awe" of the missiles watched on TV of the Gulf War, the war in which my son served. My mother traced my family veterans back to the Revolutionary War and urged me to join The Daughters of the Revolution. I did not. Have you thought far back in your family and preserved any letters or medals from your relatives? I decorate my Dad's, Father-in-law's and Uncle's graves with small flags on Memorial and Veterans Days. Once at Fort Harrison the traveling replica of the Viet Nam War Memorial was on display. This is the wall that is in sections that has every fallen vets name listed. It is huge and takes a book to look up a name to find where on the wall the name is located. I found David Roberts. I cried. It makes you cry even if you don't know any of them. Did you know that Indianapolis has the most monuments of any city other than Washington DC?

As an owner of a retail pet supply store I jumped at an opportunity one of my vendors presented. The purchase of their products help to pair wounded veterans with service dogs. Here's how. . . . The program is called Carolina Canines for Veterans (CFV), a 501(C)3 non-profit organization that operates solely on private donations. Go to WWW.CANININESFORSERVICE.ORG . It is a triple win. CFV rescues dogs from shelters, saves their lives, and gives them a purpose by training them to serve wounded veterans. The program trains military prisoners to raise and train the service dogs provided to the veterans with disabilities, thus enhancing military inmates' rehabilitation. After 11 months of training, the rescue-turned-service dogs are able to perform 70 commands that assist with everyday tasks, helping return independence to our veterans, many of whom come home with serious physical and mental injuries. A CVF service dog is valued at $40,000 and placed at no cost with the veteran.

Thank a vet today (and everyday). I personally like to thank the folks at American Legion Post #34, on Westfield Blvd., for remembering our Missing in Action. Right inside their door is a table set for one, waiting for a return. It is so touching. Go have dinner there. It's open to the public. They advertise in the Gazette. This year they are smoke free. . . ..yeah!

As an aside, this year while on vacation in Hilton Head, SC I met a woman who lived there. She and her husband had retired there seven years ago. I asked where they had lived before retirement and learned that he was a New York City fireman. We spoke gingerly about 911. I felt humbled just being in her presence, having some inkling of what that must have been like since it was aired on TV persistently. While not a veteran in the military sense the service that those responders tendered to our nation is unforgettable. We are not the same and never will be.

Pets (and vets make) you smile.