America Honors Its Veterans

WASHINGTON -- This is Veterans Day.

Veteran's Administration Secretary Jim Nicholson said it's a day to contemplate the 50 million Americans who have put on the uniform to protect the nation's freedom. And he said it has additional meaning this year with so many service men and women in harm's way overseas.

Veterans are being honored in a very personal way at the Library of Congress. The Veterans History Project is telling their stories.

The project was created by Congress five years ago, and since then, the Library has gathered a large collection of material related to all the major conflicts from World War I through present-day Iraq.

Visitors to the Veterans History Project Web site can listen to the audio, see the video or read the letters, memoirs and journals kept by veterans.

The Web address is loc.gov/vets/.

Mississippi Students Open Their Hearts

Among the tributes to American service men and women on this Veterans Day is a little book called, "Dear Soldier, If You Get Hurt, Call My Mama."

It's a collection of letters written by children and was self-published by a woman in Mississippi whose son served in Afghanistan. Barbara Baldwin said she got the idea for a book while reading letters for care packages she was assembling for troops overseas. She collected copies into a book and put it out as a fundraiser for an American Legion post.

One letter read, "We know you're going to do a great job." It's adorned with the tracing of a hand with the words, "Let's Pray."

Another child's letter said simply, "I don't want you to die." Still another letter writer wants to know, "How do you take a bath?"

Vets Arrested Trying To Remove Peace Display

Five veterans were arrested and taken to jail Thursday night after ignoring police orders not to touch flags planted by an anti-war group.

The five were charged with criminal trespass after they attempted to pull up the 2,000 white flags in Waterville, Maine's Veterans Memorial Park. The flags represented the 2,000 U.S. soldiers killed in the war in Iraq.

The group Waterville Area Bridges for Peace and Justice called the display an important visual reminder of the lives lost.

Waterville Police Chief John Morris, who is a Vietnam veteran himself, said the group had a legal permit to place the flags in the public park.

The veterans said the flags were planted in "sacred ground."

Morris said, "I spoke to them as a veteran and suggested that legitimate veterans' organizations do not resort to civil disobedience to make their point. I warned them, very carefully, that they were not allowed to do destructive behavior on these flags. If they did, we would have to ask them to leave the park. If they refused to leave the park then we'd have to arrest them, and that's what happened."

The five veterans were booked at police headquarters and released after paying $40 to the bail commissioner.

The veterans said they had to stand for their beliefs.

Lawmaker: Religious Freedom At Risk

This Veterans Day, U.S. Rep. Walter Jones says he's fighting to protect the religious freedom that Americans fought and died for.

The North Carolina Republican said America's fallen heroes would be shocked that military chaplains today are being discouraged or prohibited from praying in Jesus' name.

Jones has written a letter, signed by 76 House members and three senators, urging President George W. Bush to issue an executive order allowing chaplains to pray as they see fit.

Jones also is sponsoring legislation to let clergy preach about politics and candidates without jeopardizing their congregations' tax-exempt status. He says the IRS shouldn't be investigating a California church whose minister preached an anti-war sermon before the 2004 election.