This November, KOVA is honored to recognize the bravery of the veterans of the United States Military.

I am a veteran.

I sacrifice myself to protect you. To protect your mother, father, brother, sister and your way of life. I live to serve.

I have said goodbye to my family for months at a time, looking into their tear-filled eyes without knowing if I’ll see them again.

I have been the person in uniform at the airport, anxiously waiting to board the most important plane ride of my life.

I have traveled around the world, proudly wearing the uniform of the United States of America.

I am a veteran.

I have seen the looks of devastation, death and suffering on the faces of children and adults alike, as they watch fires burn their homes and flee to refugee shelters.

I have witnessed ambushes, bomb explosions and gunfights.

I have looked the enemy straight in the eye. I have battled him and made it out alive.

I am a veteran.

I have rescued civilians from the terrors that have overcome their communities. Carried children and adults alike to safety in the wake of gunfire and constant bombings.

I know first-hand the devastation of war and fighting. It is physical destruction. It is emotional destruction. It eliminates the feeling of safety and security for the rest of your life.

Through it all, though, I learned how to bond on a human level. No matter the differences that exist, I learned to sympathize and endure alongside the civilians of the region.

Just like them, I didn’t know when I would take my last breath. Would it be today? Would it be tomorrow?

But I endured. I survived.

I am a veteran.

I have heard the prayers of Americans, praying for our well being and safe return home.

But, I know men and women who did not make it home. Their lives were lost in the battle to create a better world for you and me. While I wear the badge of veteran proudly, they gave the ultimate sacrifice.

War is real. It destroys. A fight between two sides turns into a decimation of a way of life for hundreds of thousands of civilians caught in the middle. But it doesn’t only affect civilian’s lives; it changes soldiers as well.

I am a different person since my return from war, gradually adjusting back into civilian life. But I know that the phone can ring at any time, necessitating my return to the battlefield. If that call comes, I will be ready.

No matter what I’ve faced and where I’ve been, I will always be a soldier.

I am a parent. I am a sibling. I am someone’s child.

I am a hero.

I am a veteran.