Good morning,
Veterans Day is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors military veterans; that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I; major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
This week I will tell you about some of those veterans.
The homeless veteran hero
He’s known as Staff Sgt. Royal on account of his 10 years in the army. And it was that battlefield training that helped the homeless Seattle veteran save a friend’s life one summer night last year. Royal was just a few blocks away when an argument escalated outside a bar, and an unidentified man shot the homeless man he was fighting with. The victim ran down the street before collapsing. Royal quickly came to his aid. The bullet had struck the man’s femoral artery — a large artery in the thigh that, when ruptured, can cause victims to bleed out. Royal used a belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. The man was transported to a nearby hospital and was said to be in stable condition. Royal attributed his knowledge to his medical training at Ft. Carson in Colorado. “I’m just glad I was there,” he said.
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“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
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