Both of my grandfathers are veterans – one Army the other Navy.

One served in Korea and the other during World War II.

My mother’s father, who served in the U.S. Navy, never talked about his service much. As he got older, he’s embraced his past service more and more. He has several hats that proudly proclaim him a veteran of the second world war. Others display his service in the Navy.

He’s written a few pages about the places he went and the things he’s seen and even plotted out his course on a large, flat map so we can all see where his boat took him.

My dad’s father, who served in the U.S. Army, has never been shy about sharing his war stories. Most of them are funny. He was a barber. Not a lot of action comes across the barber’s chair.

While their stories differ it still amazes me that two men who helped raise me have seen more of the world that I may ever see. They’ve likely done more than they ever care to talk about and I doubt I’ll ever know the extent of what they’ve seen or what they’ve done.

I’m lucky. My grandfathers are both still alive and well. Their stories are still first-hand accounts. Others are not so lucky. Many of those first-hand accounts never made it back from their tours of duty.

Some time Tuesday, I urge you to take a few moments to think about the millions of men and women who have served this country. We have a whole new generation of veterans to honor and it’s the least we can do by recognizing their dedication and sacrifice.