In 1938, the year before Hitler invaded Poland, kicking off World War II, Congress declared Armistice Day a national holiday. After World War II, which mobilized more American soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen than any conflict in our nation’s history, President Eisenhower renamed it Veterans Day. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the CBP Border Patrol is honored to have a workforce almost 25 percent of whom are veterans of our armed forces: 9,852 CBP employees have served in the military—9,230 men and 622 women. Hundreds of our veteran colleagues are reservists, and many have been called to active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On November 11, it’s worth remembering what World War II General George Patton said of military veterans. “It is foolish ... to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.”

It is a fitting coda to our 2004 Veterans Day tribute to recognize five very special CBP veterans. These employees are members of “The Greatest Generation,” journalist Tom Brokaw’s term for the men and women who participated in World War II, which many consider our most noble engagement. Those who served in a conflict that ended so long ago and who still work for the nation’s primary border protection agency is an accomplishment for them. More important, their service is an honor for us. Mr. Herbert W. Hunter of Los Angeles served in the Marine Corps from 1941 to 1950. During WWII, he served as a supply officer in the Pacific theatre. He joined the former Customs Service in 1975 after retiring from the Navy. Since then, he has, according to his colleagues, “been assigned to just about every dock location and every team in the Los Angeles Seaport.” He currently works in the public information office at the port of Los Angeles-Long Beach. Mr. Thomas A. Friel works in Field Operations at JFK International Airport. Mr. Friel served on active duty from March 1945 through October 1946 and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army Airforce. Mr. Ronald Adams is a part-time CBP officer in St. Petersburg, Fla. Mr. Adams volunteered for the Army in 1944 and served in the Pacific theatre, primarily the Philippines. He received a Good Conduct Medal and a Meritorious Unit Citation. He then went to work for NBC TV, where he won three Peabody Awards for his camera work. After retiring from NBC, he began a 16-year career with CBP, starting as a Customs inspector. Mr. Adams also volunteers with the Hurricane Emergency Squad and the public library board in St. Petersburg. Albert H. Hose works at the Port of Brunswick, Ga. He served in the Marine Corps in Japan from 1945 to 1947. Charles Miller works in the JFK International Mail Branch, served in the South Pacific Theatre and was wounded in action.

Commissioner Robert Bonner recognized Veterans Day by saying of veterans all over the country, and of CBP’s veterans and reservists in particular, “Through their sacrifice, they have defended, and are defending now, freedom and security around the world. Our veterans inspire new generations of Americans to answer the call to service as we work to safeguard our nation, our ideals, and our democracy. I am deeply honored to serve alongside all CBP employees in protecting and defending the freedoms we cherish.”