Veterans Day provides an opportunity to remember that lawyers and judges benefit from the rule of law which exists only because our military deters our enemies. If only we could understand and appreciate the cost of liberty and the sacrifices of so many men and women. But we cannot. You had to be there. In New Jersey, one need not look too long to find our heroic Veterans. Right in Morristown is the storied 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery of the New Jersey Army National Guard, which has fought in conflicts including the Revolutionary War. Those wars punished the brains and bodies of its troops, then and now.

The current Soldiers continue to deploy, have responded to the COVID State of Emergency and most recently have served counting ballots. But this week is not about them; it is about the combat Veterans who raised their hand to fight our nation’s battles in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many volunteered following a long tradition that compromised their families and their livelihoods. Still they went. It takes a special commitment to say goodbye to your wife and young children. They served again when they were attached to the First Cavalry Division in Operation Iraqi Freedom II in 2004.