By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

In honor of the upcoming observance of Veterans Day, today’s Veteran Spotlight is Ralph Messer. Messer enlisted in the US Army, and later in the Illinois National Guard and Tennesses State Guard. He served in Granada. Messer tells us why Veterans Day is important to him.

“Veterans Day is important because, like Memorial Day, we get to honor everybody that served, men and women, predominantly the ones that are still alive and are around for us to actually thank them. Even though I served in combat, there are men and women who served in combat to a greater capacity than I did,” Messer said.