Celebrating veterans in every community

On Nov. 11, our nation pauses to collectively honor those who served our nation in uniform. Many of us know a veteran when we see one, especially when he or she is wearing a cap emblazoned with a service logo or still sports a military hairstyle. But if you take a closer look, you’ll discover that you’re surrounded by more veterans than you realized. Some veterans served one tour and others spent decades in uniform. We served and returned to our communities. Some silently. Some boldly. We’re members of your places of worship. We coach your kids. We own the small business down the street. We live in your neighborhood. We go to the same gym. How can you really tell if someone is a veteran? Easy, you just ask. We’re happy to share our stories. We’d love to tell you a story about basic training or officer candidate school (everybody has one of those!) or about our first duty station. Once you get the conversation going, you’ll be amazed and pleasantly surprised. For many, our time in uniform is one we recall fondly.

VA Connecticut Healthcare System is here to provide health care to eligible veterans at 10 locations statewide. We serve 56,000 veterans annually but there are many more out there who haven’t taken advantage of the services you earned from your time in uniform. We invite you to visit www.connecticut.va.gov to learn more.

As the nation celebrates its veterans, we encourage veterans to shine the light on your own story this Veterans Day. The holiday is a great opening to a wider conversation about duty, honor, and service.

We thank you.

Alfred A Montoya Jr. Director, VA Connecticut Healthcare

System West Haven