Honoring our veterans on a special day

We never tire of paying tribute to those who sacrificed so much to protect and preserve freedom.

As we are wont to say, we owe our veterans a debt we cannot repay. Veterans Day affords us that opportunity as we attend patriotic events, express our gratitude and learn about those soldiers we rightly revere as heroes.

In recognition of the importance of making sure their memories never perish, on Sunday, a living-history event for Civil War United States Colored Troops veterans who enlisted from Cape Girardeau or settled there after the war was held. Those in attendance were greeted by volunteers throughout the cemetery; they shared the life stories of these 14 veterans buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Cape Girardeau, including information about their service and families.

In tribute to a veteran among us, the Southeast Missourian shared the story of Herbert Buchheit. Buchheit is a 102-year-old World War II veteran who is known for his wide-ranging stories about his war days. He graces his family members with those stories, which reveal the influence his service days still have on him, as well as the sharpness of his memory.

"He has so much knowledge," his daughter, Anna Krauss, said. "When he starts talking about one thing, it goes this way and then this way."

Indeed, he shared some of those stories with us -- from his draft days to his three years as a combat engineer from 1942 to 1945. Not only does he have words to share, but he has memorabilia to share also. Krauss anticipates the day when his grandchildren will fight over them -- his draft card, dog tags, letters, pay stubs and photographs, for example. His most-treasured photograph is a portrait taken with his wife, Laverne, right after the war. Veterans are warriors, having endured more challenges than most of us can imagine, but all the hardness melts when they talk about those closest to them, those who have been with them through it all. Buchheit quietly and briefly wept as he held that portrait taken with his wife to whom he was married for 69 years before she passed away -- he in his uniform and she in a dress.

Buchheit views his centenarian status with a simple "I'm just livin'" attitude -- characteristic of his easygoing nature. But what he has given to his country was not easy, is not lost on us and we do not take it lightly. We take seriously the sacrifice of every veteran, recognizing that we are a better nation, the world a better place, because of them. They are one of the reasons we, too, are "just livin'" our lives with the freedoms we enjoy.

We also enjoyed the story last week that featured veteran Kenneth Haas. A photograph of Divante Nicholson, a Burger King employee, and Haas went viral after Nicholson took time to recognize Haas, who was wearing his World War II hat; another customer posted the photo of the two, and, just like that, the chance meeting was shared across the country. It turns out Haas, 94, visits the Cape Girardeau Veterans Home two or three times a week to visit the veterans there.

Haas said you really don't know how much those five special words mean to a veteran.

So let us state it for the record, especially today, and say to all our veterans, "Thank you for your service."