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MCPON Sends 2010 Veterans Day Message

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS101110-08
11/10/2010

Special from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West released the following Veterans Day message Nov. 11:

"Veterans, Shipmates and Navy Families,

Veterans Day is a day we set aside to pay tribute, honor and remember the men and women who have served in our nation's defense.

Our veterans have honorably served and sacrificed throughout the world when our nation called, and many have paid the ultimate sacrifice, and it is with eternal gratitude that we take the time this day to honor the memory of our fallen while bringing alongside and thanking those heroes still among us.

Our veterans are woven into the fabric of our great nation we call America. They lend the character and the core values they developed while in uniform to the communities in which they live and work, and we should take advantage of every chance we have to talk to, learn from and thank them for their devout patriotism.

I recently attended the Gulfport Armed Forces Retirement Home grand re-opening Nov. 9, and it was an honor and privilege for me to attend this event and bring our veterans home after it was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina five years ago. Service to our nation has bound us together, and we must continue to draw on our veterans' experiences and value their dedication to our country and our way of life while strengthening and forging the future for our next generation of warriors and veterans.

Take the time to thank our veterans this Veterans Day, they certainly have a story to tell and we all need to listen, but once the holiday is over, keep them in your thoughts, remembering their service and sacrifice that laid the foundation to which our service members today build upon. I would also like to say 'thank you' to the service members in uniform today, many in harm's way, for your continued service to our great nation.

Happy Veterans Day and HOOYAH!"

For more news from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, visit www.navy.mil/local/mcpon/.