The sound of three shots from three rifles split the air as veterans from all wars involving United States military personnel were honored on November 11. Members of the Tusten, Highland and Lumberland VFW Post #6427 were on hand for the occasion as Commander Peter Carmeci officiated.

It was one of thousands of ceremonies carried out in honor of veterans. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Corbett issued a statement saying, “Our veterans sacrifice personal well-being and act with undeniable honor to preserve for us a precious gift—our freedom.”

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo also issued a statement saying, “Today, we honor and thank our veterans who answered the call of duty to protect our citizens and preserve our nation’s freedom. We also pay tribute to our military families who have made extraordinary sacrifices supporting our service members as they put their lives on the line to defend our values and protect our state and nation.”

This was the statement from President Barack Obama: “Thank you to that greatest generation who fought island by island across the Pacific, and freed millions from fascism in Europe. Thank you to the heroes who risked everything through the bitter cold of Korea and the stifling heat of Vietnam. And thank you to all the heroes who have served since, most recently our 9/11 generation of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.”