We’re past 11th hour here, but TakePart has taken time this week to commemorate the 90th Veterans Day here in the States.  The tragedy in Fort Hood has reminded us that taking care of those that protect our liberties–our military–is not something we can ever forget about.

As Andy Kondrat has briefed us, Veterans Day is a day to appreciate military service members, both those in battle today and those who have served their duty.  While we in America also have Memorial Day in the summer to commemorate those who have lost their lives in war, today is especially a day to remember those in our community who have served and have returned.

One of the many Americans that returned from Afghanistan and Iraq is Joshua Poulsen of Arizona.  After the shock of the 9/11 attacks, he enlisted in service.  While he survived the battle of Afghanistan and Iraq and came home with awards of honor, he did not come back unscathed. He wrote to us last year on this day:

Now that I came home I am still fighting another battle, however, this fight, I fight alone. I am trying to cope with sudden flashbacks, traumatizing combat events, hyper-vigilance to the recurrence of danger, feelings of numbness, low self-esteem, rage, and lapses in concentration.

We have reposted his enlightening and harrowing story of his life before the war and later his struggles to adjust to life back in the States.

For those millions of veterans in the country now, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal thoughts, or any other emotional and mental distress, the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America [IAVA] is here to recognize and help these heroes, every single day of the year.

There are other groups as well, as Danny Jensen has blogged.  The Farmer Veteran Coalition guides soldiers coming home through not only the emotional transitions but also the economic–helping them gain a steady job through their adjustment process.

As Poulsen reminds:

So on this Veterans Day and every day, the best way to honor our veterans is to connect with them. So please remember and honor our fellow humans, our veterans…We have honored you by defending your rights, and all we ask is to welcome us home.

Some organizations are helping schools and families do just that with Take a Veteran to School Day and free meals for Veterans at certain restaurants.

TakePart bloggers Gina Telaroli, Adriana Dunn, and Jensen also have compiled films, television movies and documentaries that you can watch with your friends and family this week.  From movies like Standard Operating Procedure, the first season of Friday Night Lights, the animated Waltz with Bashir to the classic Winter Soldier, Telaroli ranks the top ten DVDs to rent this week that portray the soldiering life.

Premiering this week is also PBS’s documentary, The Way We Get By, portraying a group of senior citizens who have greeted over 900,000 American troops in Maine.  Click here for a schedule in your area.

Also on television are two films chronicling the lives of military members and their best friends - their dogs.  “No Dog Left Behind” and “War Dogs of the Pacific” will air back-to-back on the Military Channel on Sunday at 8.  Here’s Danny’s post about them.

While you can hear the intimate voices of our country’s military personnel through these television programs, you yourself can also contribute to a collection of memories online through PBS’s website, Returning Home: Mosaic of Support.  Like a digital version of the Veteran Memorial wall and statues in Washington D.C., each piece of the mosaic is part of the grand fabric of the tradition of honor in our country.