This Veteran’s Day I am moved to recall the burdens of war and the weight of its tragedy.

History reveals the rugged tapestry of the American Veteran from plight to homage.

War, the haunting fear of nations rising to battle.

Civilian livelihood challenged amid the raging flames of its torment.

Though the weight of its burden rests upon battlefields, it lingers in the memoir of the American Veteran.

The putrid odor of death forever inhaled through the lungs of men and women who fought for freedoms sweet sustain.

Anchored in allegiance, the silhouette of our humanity is etched through the legacy of those who fought for the right of every human being to live freely in conviction for a better tomorrow.

Through the windows of their souls is a love deeper than whimsical pleasures.

Love that is inspiring yet it pierces the heart in sobering regretful remembrance of our collective forgetfulness of freedom’s massive price.

That price is illuminated through the revealing chapters of every war Veteran’s gut-wrenching story.

May we thank our Veterans not only with cliches of thankfulness but with our time and resources.

Memoirs of barren chapters waiting for us to eloquently recall with fluid strokes of a unifying love.

The gift of the greatest memoir of American soil is the legacy of the American Veteran.

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Brenda Demonbreun is a gifted poet and writer poised to address critical issues that continue to confront our society. She offers solutions that unify people with a skilled command of language and imagery. She calls that the “hope of America.” She is the author of The Soul of a Soldier.