A salute to Cook’s veterans
Happy Veterans Day to all Cook employees who have served in the U.S. military (and happy Armistice Day and Remembrance Day to our colleagues around the world)!
As veterans, we are members of an extended family who share the unique experience of being broken down and rebuilt in order to work together as a cohesive unit under difficult circumstances. It’s a bond that lasts a lifetime.
Joining the U.S. Air Force in 1988 was the best decision of my life. My two tours of duty were filled with adventures and opportunities that would not have been afforded to me in the civilian world.
My training not only showed me how to fold clothes in ways previously unknown, it provided me with great skills and remarkable experiences as a military photojournalist. I photographed a president, interviewed four-star generals and celebrities, provided support during wartime, and was sent to live in Hawaii for three years. You can’t beat that! And then there was the time I was caught up in an alien conspiracy. But that’s a story for another day…
The lessons I learned in the Air Force have helped me manage many difficult situations in my civilian life. The veterans I have met throughout the years have exhibited that same mettle and ability to handle the unexpected. It’s certainly wise to have a veteran on your disaster preparedness team!
I would like to pay homage to the brave men and women in my SBU, Peripheral Intervention (check out the pictures below), our larger Cook family, and those around the nation and world who have sacrificed their freedoms to serve in the military.
If you’re a veteran, please tell us about your experience. We’d like to hear about it.
Veterans in Peripheral Intervention
Veterans not shown
Ed DelaFuente, captain, U.S. Army, 1984-1989, logistics officer
Rick Grenfell, sergeant 1st class, U.S. Army and Army National Guard, 1966-1977, Special Forces medic
Jason S. Norris, staff sergeant, U.S. Air Force, 1991-2000, cardiopulmonary laboratory technician
Jimmie Potts, sergeant, U.S. Army, 1980-1987, biomedical equipment specialist
Jeff Zirbser, sergeant, U.S. Army, 1991-2000, armor crewman
THANK YOU, for your service!
Some readers may disagree but members of the American military have the toughest jobs in the nation. The work these troops perform requires huge amounts of sacrifice, whether it is months or years away from family, serious life-altering injuries, or even their lives, all to preserve the American way of life.
To them we are all very thankful and words alone can not express our heartfelt appreciation.
Each in their own way have faced the horrors of war but bravely faced them, certain his (or her) own cause and his country’s cause was a noble one; that he was fighting for human dignity, for free men and women everywhere.
Today we pause to recognize all who have served us so well in battle whose end offered no parades, no flags, and so little thanks when they came back home.
We can be worthy of the values and ideals for which our sons sacrificed — worthy of their courage in the face of a fear that few of us will ever experience — by honoring their commitment and devotion to duty and country.
Thanks to each and every one of you.
Happy Veteran’s Day to my brother and sister vets! Thank you for your service.
That’s a beautiful sentiment David Hall!
Thank you for your service.
Thank YOU each and everyone for your sacrifice and service! I would like to remember my WWII U.S. Army veteran father, Howard. Orphaned early, he was able to complete a teaching degree from Purdue University during the Great Depression, and was awarded a bronze star in the Pacific. He thought that it was because he got coffee and warm food as a mess sergeant to the front lines. Likely story. Again, words fail to express our appreciation for your lives of service to others!
It’s Veterans Day make a point of telling a Vet thank you. Freedom is free, it’s the Veterans who have fought and died to keep us the greatest nation ever.You are all HEROES. May God bless you all and keep you safe.
Thanks to all of those who have served or are currently serving!
Thanks to all of you! My family and I are grateful for our freedom because of you and so many others.
Thank you to all veterans of all branches, I have great respect for each and everyone of you. Enjoy your day and may God and country be beside you allways.
Thank you to all of our Vets and their families.
The magnitude of your sacrifices are incomprehensible to those who have not served and/or had a loved one serve.
THANK YOU ALL, for your service!
Thank you to all of the amazing women and men who have served in the past as well as those who are currently serving. We are very proud of all of you.
What a wonderful tribute to the brave people who have served in our armed forces, And thank you for posting the names and photos of those at Cook who have served!
Nicely done Debbie and a heartfelt thank-you to all of our veterans who have served and sacrificed to make possible what we all enjoy…..freedom!
Thank you for a great post. Today is a special day to remember. I would like to thank my team members from Critical Care Kerri Guise and Jim Willett for their military contributions.
Thank you for the Salute to our Veterans. My husband Wade served in the Army National Guard for 40 years and I am very proud of him and proud of all of the Cook employee’s who have served and continue to serve so we enjoy our freedom.
Thank you to all our Vetrans for your tremendous sacrefice in serving, defending and protecting our freedom!
Thank you to one and all for your courage & sacrifice
A very grateful thank you to you all!
Great post, Debbie! Thank you to all the Cook Veterans. Special shout out to our CC Veterans, Kerri Guise and Jim Willett!
Happy Veterans Day! You are appreciated more than you know. Our country wouldn’t be what it is without your dedication. God Bless You All!
My family and I are very grateful for all your years of service. I would love to hear more about this alien conspiracy… 😀 Have a wonderful day Veterans!
Thank you so much to all of the veterans past current and future. The least of you have sacrificed time away from friends and family and a large amount of personal discomfort. Others have sacrificed life and limb to serve and preserve the freedoms we so easily take forgranted. What a contrast of service when you consider that such a large percentage of us can’t even sacrifice the time to go and vote. Thank you so much for your and your familys sacrifice.
To All of you that have served or are serving, Thank You!!
THANK YOU to all of our veterans!
April, come and see me in peripheral intervention. It’s a crazy story!!
Thank you all for your service! Debbie great article!