God of all nations,
on this Veterans Day we thank you for all who have served in our armed forces:
for the oath they took and kept,
for the years they gave and the homes they left behind,
for courage in danger and faithfulness in the long, ordinary days.
Bless every veteran among us,
those who came home to welcome and those who came home to silence.
Heal the wounds that show and the wounds that do not.
Give them work that honors their gifts,
friends who understand them,
and a nation that keeps its promises to them.
Comfort the military families who waited and sacrificed alongside them.
We remember with gratitude those who did not come home,
and we ask your comfort for all who still miss them.
Teach the nations the ways of peace,
until swords are beaten into plowshares
and no one learns war any more.
Amen.