As a teenager, Homer Stinson knew he wanted to join the Navy. On Oct. 12, 1982, just three months after graduating from Shawano High School, he enlisted for what would become a 30-year career.

“I enlisted at the Military Entrance Processing Station in Milwaukee,” Stinson said. “The next day, I celebrated the Navy’s 207th birthday by starting boot camp at Orlando, Florida.”

David Behrend, of Morgan, joined the Navy in 1971 while a sophomore in a Michigan high school. Immediately after graduation, he went to basic training in San Diego.

“When I was 16 years old, I talked with the Navy recruiter and joined while still in high school,” Behrend said. “I couldn’t get away from home fast enough, but I had to wait till after my graduation from Powers-Spalding High School before I attended basic training.”

“All over the planet.”

That’s where Dr. Robert Langsten said the U.S. Air Force sent him after the Tigerton native enlisted as a college student at the University of Minnesota in the 1980s.

Nearly 40 years later, he’s back in Tigerton and is currently the commander of American Legion Post 239.

Veterans Day is intended to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military — living and dead — whether in wartime or peace.

In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who serve have sacrificed and done their duty.

The Allied Vets Council will hold a Veterans Day program at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 at the Shawano County Courthouse, 311 N. Main St.

The ceremony will begin with the sounding of the bells and fire whistle.

Veteran Dennis Bohm will greet those who gather, and the Rev. Andrew Zobel, senior pastor at St.James Lutheran Church, will offer the invocation.

Staff and students at Oconto Falls High School, 210 N. Farm Road, Oconto Falls, invite veterans to their annual Veterans Day program Nov. 11.

There will be a small reception for veterans beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the OFHS Commons, followed by a high school assembly and program from 9-10 a.m. Veterans should feel free to bring family members or other guests to the program.