ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Veterans Day is November 11, and people across the Capital Region are honoring and remembering the bravery and sacrifices made by the local members of the military. NEWS10 is also celebrating the men and women of the armed forces with a special, “Veterans Voices: We Honor and Thank Those Who Serve.” We hear directly from local veterans in our community about the issues affecting their day-to-day lives and the many ways they connect with each other.

For decades, veterans gathered for a drink or a little comradery at the local American Legion post. “It’s not a bar, it’s a lounge where we get together with our family and that’s what the American Legion is to me, a family,” said Larry Montello, who has been a legionnaire for 20 years. But post 9/11 military members are not joining the VFWs and the legions and their numbers are dwindling.

Also, in the program, two local Vietnam War veterans who became friends 50 years after the fighting stopped. One was a helicopter pilot and the other a trauma surgeon, who wrote a book about his experiences.

“I picked up the book and started reading the jacket and said oh my God… this guy was in Vietnam the same time I was,” said Bob Nevins. He adds, “This guy was a trauma surgeon at the 85th evac, this is the hospital we flew into.”

“He was bringing me the wounded the whole time I was there,” said Gus Kapplar. “I was flabbergasted.”

You can watch those stories and much more on the program, “Veterans Voices: We Honor and Thank Those Who Serve.”