Saturday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day.

It is a time to thank the courageous men and women who have served our country so that we may remain the land of the free.

The holiday was first known and celebrated as Armistice Day, recognized on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to commemorate the end of World War I. The Great War was supposed to be a war to end all wars.

Sadly, that was not the case.

Thankfully, America’s finest have always answered the call to stand up for freedom and liberty.

One of my greatest honors as your senator is taking part in Veterans Day tributes throughout southwest Michigan to thank our service men and women for their outstanding dedication.

We can never fully thank our courageous veterans enough for putting their country before themselves to protect and preserve our freedom and way of life. Understanding this debt to our veterans and their families, I am proud that we have made significant strides to show our deep appreciation in a meaningful way.

The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency provides valuable services — from job resources to medical benefits and transition assistance — to our state’s more than 660,000 military veterans, which is the 11th largest veteran population in the nation.

I encourage all Michigan veterans to contact the agency at 1-800-MICH-VET or on their website at MichiganVeterans.com.

By calling the toll-free number, veterans can use the Michigan Veteran Resource Service Center, which provides veterans access to federal benefit programs, state services and local resources.

Our service members and their families make enormous sacrifices to protect us. On this Veterans Day and throughout the year, I hope you will join with me in recognizing and thanking these heroes for their sacrifice and service.

God bless our veterans.

Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, represents southwest Michigan.