This year I am remembering my Uncle Howard on Veterans Day.

My Uncle Howard passed away last September. He is one of the three veterans that I featured in my Veterans Day post last year.

My Uncle Howard served in the military for 28 years and was on tour of duty in Korea, Germany and Vietnam.

My uncle also belonged to several Veteran service organizations including the VFW, DAV and AMVETS.

He also served in other ways. I remember visiting him once and helping him deliver Meals on Wheels. He also served in several other volunteer organizations.

I have some great memories of my uncle and also have a few items from him that help me remember him. I have a few small boxes of military patches and insignia. One of my favorite patches is one of his name patches.

Howard was a Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He also served for many years in the National Guard.

When my uncle passed away last year, his body was donated to the Creighton University Medical School to be used for medical research.

Earlier this year we held a service to bury his ashes in the Houser Cemetery near Northboro, Iowa. My grandparents are buried there as well as several generations of my grandmother’s family.

My Uncle Howard was buried with full military honors, including a three-volley salute by the local VFW chapter.

After the ceremony I picked up some of the shell casings and helped pass them out to family members. I was able to bring several home with me to help remember the day.

I also took the time to personally thank as many of the VFW members as I could. Several of them had grown up with my uncle and others knew him from his activities with the VFW and DAV.

I have many other relatives and friends who are Veterans and I want to thank all of them for their service to our country.

Remember that Veterans Day is a day to remember all those who have served our country in the armed services.

Steven

Here are some of my previous posts about military service:

Veterans Day

Memorial Day

Memorial Day Observance