Veterans Day is an annual US holiday celebrated on November 11, and honors all those service men and women who have served our country. To celebrate Veterans Day I went up to The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, better known as "Punchbowl," a national cemetery that honors the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. 
The bottom of this memorial reads"The solemn pride that must be your, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of Freedom"-quotation from the letter from President Lincoln to Mrs. Bixby. Also near this memorial is a small chapel, tribute to battles in the Pacific, and walls etched with the names of individuals who were never recovered from battle.
Punchbowl is a very special place for me; both of my grandfathers, a grandmother, a few uncles, and an aunt are buried there. As I was growing up my parents always stressed the importance of "family," respect for my elders, and those family members who have passed. To reinforce these values my mother would take me to Punchbowl on holidays such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Christmas, as well as other days in between to take flowers, pay our respect, and sometimes just to reminisce about good times.
PS. A Happy Veterans Day to my Dad. :)
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