WASHINGTON — Veterans Day allows us to recognize and honor the veterans among us, both those who are still with us, and those we have lost.
Many veterans traveled to the war memorials in D.C. Saturday, visiting the World War II Memorial on a cold, clear day.
When "thank you" isn't enough, you can come here and look at the stars, marking more than 400,000 Americans who died in the war.
"By the time I turned 18, I was drafted one month after my birthday," said retired Colonel Frank Cohn. "They needed me."
Cohn, 98, is a World War II veteran. He moved to the U.S. as a young German Jewish refugee and became a soldier, liberator and Army officer.
Every year he marks Veterans Day on the National Mall, honoring those who secured the freedom of the U.S. and the world: Freedom that will rest in the hands of younger generations.
"I think they should understand government a little better," said Cohn of young generations. "This is a terrific country and we want to keep it that way. And you don't want to get into any side things which don't support our democracy. That's what's important."
Vietnam veteran Carl Pershita traveled from Oklahoma for this ceremony with the Chickasaw Veteran Nation. Veterans Day services are one of the ways he reunites with fellow soldiers who uniquely understand his struggles.
"I have PTSD, still to this day 50-something years later, I still have a lot of the symptoms and that's something that will never go away," he said. "People don't understand that."
Carrying the memories can be lonely, but at least on this day each year, veterans can share the burden.
"It's a lucky thing we won [World War II], that's all," said Cohn.