Unless you are a veteran, today may pass as just about any other day. But it should not go unnoticed. Veterans Day celebrates those Americans, including many in long-term care, who served in the armed forces, often putting themselves in harm’s way for their country. They deserve to be recognized.

One facility, Lutheran Homes of Michigan-Frankenmuth, did not let the day go by without paying respect.

Gathering in the dining room, about 13 of the facility’s veterans, along with other residents, and staff sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” and received certificates. They also nibbled on patriotic-themed raspberry-filled cookies with blue icing, said Beth Kribs, activities assistant at the facility. An array of wartime photos of the veterans was on display.

As part of the festivities, veterans watched “Vanishing Voices of World War II,” a PBS documentary in which Michigan veterans, including some from Lutheran Homes of Michigan, a Christian, nonprofit organization, commented on their experiences in World War II.

In 2005, PBS traveled with veterans of Lutheran Homes, including some from the Frankenmuth facility, to Washington D.C. to see the World War II Memorial. (To see more about the video, go to http://www3.delta.edu/broadcasting/vanishingvoices/index.html.)

The mood was celebratory at the facility today, Kribs said.

One World War II veteran commented of his military experience, “Well, I didn’t have a choice.”

Another, who received a Purple Heart during World War II, was humbled by the honor paid to him and others.

“At first he didn’t want to come,” Kribs said.

He said that his children sent him a red, white and blue floral arrangement and “was beaming” because of that, Kribs said.