Veterans. They’re ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things.

And on Veterans Day and every other day of the year, Americans must honor them through deeds, not just thank yous, said Lt. Col. Michael Funk, commander of 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment.

During the Veterans Day program at the historic Freeborn County Courthouse, Funk, superintendent for Albert Lea Area Schools, shared a message encouraging area residents to remember and care for veterans and their families.

“From defeating communism, fascism and imperialism, to keeping the peace during the Cold War and battling terrorism today, America owes a debt to her veterans that can never be repaid,” Funk said.

“We must be willing to pick them up when they are down, help point the way to new life when they return home and carry them when they are weary. We, the many, have benefited from the sacrifice and service of the relative few, and it is our responsibility to ensure our veterans are cared for and tended to; it is a responsibility that we are obligated to fulfill. It is one that honor demands of us.”

Funk, who has been in command of the 2nd Battalion of the 135th Infantry since March 2007, led the battalion on a deployment to Kosovo in 2007. His soldiers were responsible for maintaining the peace during Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008.

He talked of the characteristics of veterans through examples learned from his own service and from the recent shootings at Ford Hood.

He said veterans have endured great hardships, separation from families and altered lifestyles. While not all have experienced the horrors of war, all have sacrificed something so other Americans can enjoy the freedoms available in this country.

During the attack at Fort Hood, Funk said, “there were accounts of soldiers running toward the sounds of gunshots and ripping their clothing off their bodies to stem the flow of blood from their fallen comrades.”

“Who in our American society would run toward the sound of gunfire but a veteran of America’s armed services?” he asked.

He also shared an experience from 2004 when he was serving on a NATO peacekeeping mission in Bosnia.

Funk said at that time he traveled to Germany to meet with soldiers who had been burned in an explosion. At the Army hospital, the soldiers indicated that their biggest disappointment was not in being injured, but in not being able to continue to serve their country.

“These were ordinary young men, with an extraordinary commitment,” Funk said.

He said fewer than 10 percent of Americans can claim the title of military veteran.

Americans should not only honor the veterans but their families as well who have also sacrificed for their country.

“We must honor all of these families and not just with Blue and Gold Star banners, but with compassionate hearts,” Funk said.

“While veterans are often ordinary people who accomplish extraordinary things, it is often an extraordinary family that supports the ordinary veteran.”

Funk’s speech was followed by musical selections of the Careyaires, under the direction of Janae Clausen.

Prior to the program, veterans participated in the raising of the colors, volley firing and “Taps” at the Freeborn County Veterans Memorial.

Before that, veterans marched in a parade from the American Legion Club south on Broadway Avenue to the Freeborn County Government Center.

The Veterans Day observance in Albert Lea started with a program at Southwest Middle School, sponsored by Freemond Madson Post 447 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Click here to read a transcript of his speech.