In honor of Veterans Day today, I thought we’d take a look back at all the veterans we’ve honored through the years on the site, telling their stories of bravery, endurance, and tragedy.

We’ve digged into Lands End’s military history and the remnant of the USS San Francisco that stands as a memorial to its World War II battles. Not only did the ship and its crew survive Pearl Harbor, it then went on to run a protective convoy across the Pacific for 8 months before taking part in an overnight battle with Japanese air and sea forces. The USS San Francisco rolled into San Francisco bay a month later to a hero’s welcome. The city threw a parade in its honor, and President Roosevelt bestowed Commander Bruce McCandless with a medal of honor.

We also took a look at the battlements along the Marin Headlands, imagining the lives of the soldiers sent to protect the West Coast from Pacific Front threats.

On a hike in Vail, Colorado, we wondered about the 10th Mountain Division, an elite group of famous skiers, students, and athletes that trained here before heading off to fight in the mountains of Italy. Many of its veterans went on to found ski resorts in Colorado and Nevada — Aspen, Vail, Taos, and 60 others.

And one of my favorite Far Out City destinations, the USS Midway in San Diego. I didn’t go into its history, because history — and veterans — were all around me. Their bittersweet jokes, peeling laughter, and fascinating observations told a story all its own.

It is overwhelming to think that there are millions of stories just like these throughout the United States. Our hats go off, and our hearts go out, to our veterans.