Letter: ‘Veterans are our heroes’

To the editor,

On behalf of all our Hastings community we would like to thank all of our military and veteran families during Military Family Month. There is no way we can ever properly thank the members of the US military for all that they have done. You certainly were not paid enough for your work and great sacrifices. World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan have been particularly tough and stressful for members of the military, their families and loved one.

The month of November and Veterans Day, we celebrate the exceptional service, strength and sacrifice of our veterans families, whose commitment to our nation and community goes beyond the call of duty.

Our veterans swore an oath to protect and defend and with each step they took on this land we cherish, we remember our steadfast promise to protect the well being of the family they hold dear. Every act of kindness we can offer helps cultivate a culture of support to our veterans and makes a difference in the lives of these patriots.

As part of the Hastings participation in Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program, it is our focus to bring citizenship and an understanding of the current issues veterans and their families face. It is our goal to bring justice and healing with unity of all our conflict veterans and integrate them successfully into our community. Our community contacts are Dean Markuson, 438-2208, deanrvet@aol.com or United Way of Hastings, 438-3337 or tara@unitedwayofhastings.org.

May we always uphold our obligations to one another and to those who have given so much to our country, whose commitment to our nation and community goes beyond the call of duty.

Veterans are our heroes.

Paul Hicks, mayor of Hastings

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