Celebrate Veterans Day and its inherent nature of service

Each year on Nov. 11, we celebrate Veterans Day, honoring the men and women who served and are serving in our nation's armed forces.

From the greenest E-nothing private to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, each veteran stepped forward, swore an oath to defend the nation against enemies foreign and domestic and agreed to go where Uncle Sam pointed.

Those locales have spanned the globe and become part of history. The Battle of New Orleans. Midway. Heartbreak Ridge. Tet Offensive. Jalibah Airfield. Battle for Fallujah. Operation Khanjar.

On the homefront, our National Guard veterans support their communities in times of crisis. They deliver water, rescue people fleeing floodwaters and keep the peace when needed. These stateside duties are an integral part of our national defense and strengthen the fabric of our cities and towns.

Veterans donned the nation's military uniform for a variety of reasons. Some felt a sense of patriotism and duty. Others wanted to challenge themselves. Others saw military service as a way to grow personally and professionally, many of them using educational benefits to earn a degree or complete civilian training programs.

Regardless of the reason why they joined, veterans put the common good ahead of their personal safety and comfort.

For that we are thankful.

We are thankful for something else: We aren't making as many veterans these days.

With military operations winding down in Afghanistan and Iraq, the number of U.S. troops deployed overseas has fallen significantly. According to Missouri National Guard officials only about 600 of the state's Guard members are deployed at this time.

Fewer deployments, fewer veterans.

For a war-weary nation, that's a good thing.

As we celebrate Veterans Day this year, we salute all our veterans, and we are grateful for their sacrifices (and the sacrifices made by their families, as well).

May all our veterans enjoy the peace their service has earned.