To the editor:

Veterans Day is approaching soon and the Veterans Resource Center has a very special two-part tribute to veterans and their families scheduled for Nov. 10, the day before the official Veterans Day.

Please join us for part one of our Veterans Day Tribute: Healing Veterans, Families and Communities, a collaborative program named by the high school students. The VRC has been working closely with South Whidbey High School students and teachers since school began this fall.

Help welcome guest speaker Michael Reagan for a special school assembly program to which the public is invited. The morning portion of the program is at the high school auditorium from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Reagan and one of our co-directors whom many of you know, Steve Durbin, served in the same unit in Vietnam.

Reagan is an Edmonds artist who has committed himself to doing portraits of the more than 5,000 military men and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan from photos provided by the families of the deceased. He has completed more than 1,800 to date, delivering them as gifts to the families.

Part two of the Veterans Day Tribute: A discussion of “What can I do to help heal the wounds of war?” The VRC will host the first of the ongoing public gatherings at the Unitarian Universalist Church from 4 to 5:30 p.m., Nov. 10. There will also be music and refreshments.

Some of you may remember the VRC’s first public event, the Memorial Day Tribute for Veterans, their families and communities: Honoring the Heart of the Matter, a unique presentation of readings from diverse voices speaking about war and the human experience. We were honored to share our readings with 75 people from the community.

The Veterans Day Tribute offers a taste of the diversity of the community-based programming for veterans, their families and communities, which the VRC is committed to support and guide toward healing the effects of war upon all of us.

Visit our Web site for details and directions, www.vetsresourcecenter.org or call 321-7226.

Perry McClellan, Steve Durbin, Chuck McIntyre and Judith Gorman

Co-Directors

The Veterans Resource Center