Say "thank you" to a veteran today

Happy Veterans Day from your friends at the Dog Denizens of Genesee Park (DDGP)!

How did Veterans Day come about? you might ask. Although World War II ended on June 28, 1919, an Armistice -- a cessation of fighting between the Allies and Germans -- occurred on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. November 11, 1918 is regarded as "the war to end all wars." President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11, 1919 as the First Armistice Day. Business would suspend at 11 am for parades and public meetings.

Armistice Day became a federal holiday on November 11, 1938 in commemoration of World War I veterans. In 1954, Congress renamed Armistice Day "Veterans Day" to honor all former service members.

On Memorial Day, we submitted a list of movies that we would have aired in honor of the holiday if we controlled Comcast. In honor of Veterans Day, we submit a list of the movies about members of our armed services and veterans in no particular order of significance. Unlike the Memorial Day list, which featured movies involving death during active duty, the Veterans Day list includes movies about military service.

• The Best Years of Our Lives (1946): Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Harold Russell, Virginia Mayo and Hoagy Carmichael. William Wyler, director.
• The Caine Mutiny (1954): Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson, José Ferrer, Fred McMurray, Robert Francis, E.G. Marshall. Edward Dmytryk, director.
• Mister Roberts (1955): Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack Lemmon, Ward Bond. John Ford, Melvyn LeRoy, Joshua Logan (uncredited), directors.
• Apocalypse Now (1979): Martin Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Sam Bottoms, Dennis Hopper. Francis Ford Copolla, director.
• Stalag 17 (1953): William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss, Harvey Lembeck, Peter Graves. Billy Wilder, director.
• Sergeant York (1941): Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie, Ward Bond, George Tobias, Noah Berry Jr. Howard Hawks, director.
• Strategic Air Command (1955): James Stewart, June Allyson, Barry Sullivan, Jay C. Flippen. Anthony Mann, director.
• Good Morning, Vietnam (1987): Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Bruno Kirby, Robert Wuhl, Richard Portnow, J.T. Walsh, Tung Thanh Tran. Barry Levinson, director.
• The Guns of Navarone (1961): Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, James Darren, Richard Forbes. J. Lee Thompson, director.
• Crimson Tide (1995): Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, George Dzunda, Viggo Mortenson, James Gandolfini, Rick Schroder. Tony Scott, director.

Admittedly, there are are movies involving women veterans. I couldn't bring myself to list GI Jane.

To commemorate the holiday, Dick's Drive-In is serving free hamburgers or cheeseburgers to veterans and active-duty members. Show up in uniform or provide another form of identification for your free beef.