Veterans reflect on service and challenges on Veterans Day

As they stood in two parallel rows on the Santa Monica Pier, you could hear the new recruits say, "I do solemnly swear..."

For the recruits, it made this Veterans Day much more special. This was a day of respect, a day of parades like the one in Mission Hills.

And when you ask veterans how important this day is to them, they'll tell you things like, "This day is extremely important to me."

While Veterans Day honors those who served in our military — as opposed to Memorial Day, which honors those we lost in battle — Veterans Day is often a day when veterans remember those who didn't come back.

As tears flowed from his eyes, Veteran Fred Hirz told FOX 11, "We all had friends die. It's been 50 years. They're still with me in my heart. I still love them. I think about them today, definitely."

However, something else pains Veteran Jim Cragg. It's the perception many young people have of America's veterans as just wounded warriors who, in many cases, suffer from PTSD. Cragg says "... that hurts many who proudly wore the uniform." Cragg adds, "Those veterans are getting turned down for jobs because employers are afraid that having that person might mean they have PTSD."

So, he says, change starts with how TV shows, movies and other media portray military veterans. And, the way he sees it, it is fitting to start this battle on a day when we honor those who served our country, when we sing their praises, and when we thank them for their service to protect us.