!["[My] service means sacrificing the unknown to preserve freedom and serving something greater than myself.” --- Tech. Sgt. Jacob Cunningham, Air Force. Cunningham is married to WYDaily multimedia journalist Lucretia Cunningham.(WYDaily/Courtesy Lucretia Cunningham)](https://images.wydaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/service-6.jpg)
Whether it be a friend, family member or neighbor, the men and women of the U.S. military impact the lives of citizens everyday. WYDaily has collected photos from veterans and loved ones with descriptions of what their service means to them.
In Hampton Roads, residents don’t have to look far to find the ways in which veterans have served their community.
Each year, Veterans Day is a time to remember those who have served our country.
The tradition began in November 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson declared Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1938, an act was passed that made the day a national legal holiday which would be dedicated to world peace.
Originally the holiday was created to honor veterans of World War I but after World War II, the act was amended from “Armistice Day” to “Veterans.” Since then, the day has been a time to honor and celebrate the patriotism of those who have served in the nation’s military.
