Honoring our City of Houston veterans

Regardless of military branch, while being a veteran means many things, it always comes back to the most central tenet:

Duty. Honor. Country.

The veteran is part of the “one percent” of our nation’s citizens who put on the uniform to serve a purpose greater than themselves. It sounds romantic and glorious to many. The reality isn’t always so kind.

Veterans sacrifice time with their families, often missing monumental moments in their children and spouses’ lives. They go off to distant places (some hostile, others not so much) and through experiences and circumstances forge a family with the service members on their left and right. And sometimes, tragedy occurs, and they never come home.

Today is not the day to honor our fallen (though some might also choose to do so). It’s a day to remember those still with us who put on a uniform (as well as those still wearing one), did a job for our country, and came back home.

The City of Houston honors its employees who decided to carry on the tradition of selfless service by trading service to country for service to community. They don’t do this job for the money. They do it because they have decided to make their chosen homes a better place for their families and others.

We have assembled the photos of our COH employees and created a web page highlighting those who served. Take a moment to look for a familiar face. Know there’s more to them than just being your cubicle mate.

Throughout November, we will also post individual submissions on our @COHEmployeeNews Facebook and Twitter pages. If you didn’t get a chance to submit your photos, feel free to post them here and tag @COHEmployeeNews.

From the City of Houston, Happy Veterans Day!