“Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us.” – Ronald Reagan 

Across our great country today, we pause to honor the men and women who have served and sacrificed for the United States of America.  In a company like Nexstar Media Group, there are dozens of veterans walking the halls of our television stations. They produce newscasts, report on stories, build relationships with advertisers and ensure the signal stays up and running.

On the surface, they probably look like anyone else in the office.  However, these men and women stand out.  They’ve displayed a level courage and bravery some of us will never know.  They’re heroes among us.

They’re people like Tony Wright who works at WSPA in South Carolina.  After September 11, he was compelled to join the army.  Five years later, he did just that.  Tony served in Operation Iraqi Freedom as an Army Engineer.  And you know what?  He’d do it all over again.

“I would never change my oath and still live by those actions I stood upon September 9, 2006,“ Tony said in reflecting on his service.

Before she was an account executive in Rock Island, Illinois, Michelle Peterson spent more than two decades in the Illinois Army National Guard.  She served in the 169^th Airlift Squadron of the 182^nd Airlift Fighter Wing in Peoria.  Their mission supported the safety of our airmen and aircraft, which included A37s, F16s, and C130s.  She retired in 2002 as a Tech Sergeant in flight management.

On this day, we remind ourselves we’re able to do what we do because of the sacrifices of Michelle, Tony and our heroic veterans.

When I was a news director in Little Rock, I made it an annual tradition to donate to a veteran’s group on Veterans Day in honor of our resident vet Chief Meteorologist Keith Monahan.  It’s a tradition I’d like to continue.

This weekend, I made a donation to Fisher House.  The group provides housing where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. The Fisher House Foundation served more than 38,000 families in 2018.  Since its inception in 1991, the group has provided 8.7 million days of free lodging to our military and veterans.  If you’d like to join me in honoring the veterans of the Nexstar Nation by making a donation, you can do so here.

To our veterans: we can’t ever thank you enough. Thank you for being who you are — and thank you to the family members who have sacrificed alongside you.

We’re forever in debt.