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This Veterans Day - E-mail me your Veteran’s picture and/or Anecdote

Posted by Randy | November 08, 2012

As our nation marks Veteran’s Day this Sunday, November 11^th, we honor those who have served our country in the line of duty. Our veterans are all around us in Virginia, where the 4^th district is home to one of the highest populations of veterans in the nation. I urge you all to pause and spend some time with a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine. Whether still on active duty, the Reserves, or a former military member, these brave men and women have served their country and sacrificed so much for all of us. It is our responsibility to recognize their sacrifice and commitment, preserve the legacy of their service, and pass this on to future generations.

I hope you will use the opportunity Veterans Day gives you to take time to talk with a veteran and learn more about their service. It could be a family member, friend or someone you live near or work with that you think may have served but never took the time to ask. If you know a war veteran, please consider interviewing them or taking a picture and sending it to me at HonoringVeterans@mail.house.gov. If you are a military veteran, I’d also love to hear from you directly. I look forward to sharing many of the photos or anecdotes I receive.

I also suggest you all read and share stories on the Veterans History Project, which collects, preserves and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

To kick off this endeavor, here are two photos and an anecdote dear to my heart. My oldest son, Neil Forbes (below left) , spent eight years in the United States Army, serving in Korea, the 82^nd Airborne Division and Virginia Army National Guard. My father, Malcolm Forbes, (below right) also served in the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer in World War II.

Shortly before the Normandy invasion in 1944, (my father was not a very religious man at the time but he did carry a pocket-sized bible in his chest pocket) he prayed for God’s protection and promised God that if he made it home, he would make sure his family attended church every Sunday. Well, he made it home and he kept that promise. I cannot remember a Sunday that my Dad did not take my mother, my siblings and me to church. Although my father died many years ago, I still have his pocket bible. It is one of my most treasured possessions and it serves as a strong reminder of my dad’s service to his country.

Comments

Users are solely responsible for the opinions they post here and their comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Congressman Forbes.

Thomas G commented on 11/8/2012

As a veteran myself I'm hoping that this republican congress has learned from its mistake last Veterans Day to deny, for the first time in 50 years, the opportunity for veterans organizations to publically address the United States Congress. The refusal to do that last year deeply offended millions of veterans all across the country. Given that the present republican leadership recessed at the earliest juncture prior to the election also in 50 years, I sincerely hope they will not be so irresponsible now. The American people stood in line for hours all across the country refusing to allow motivation to suppress the vote to keep them from acting to heal the cancer that many of us see has invaded the commitment of legislators. Congressman Forbes, if your party refuses to accommodate veterans this year, I hope you show up all by yourself, because if you do not, your words will ring very hollow indeed.

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