by Joan Aguon Charfauros

Guam - On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month of 2011, a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber flew over Adelup as part of the Veterans Day ceremonies before hundreds of veterans, dignitaries and guests.

Having served for 23 years in the U.S. Navy, 65-year-old Scot Duenas says it was a great way to reconnect with fellow veterans. "It's a just a day to meet friends that have been in the military and sometimes talk stories about what transpired during their career and all that…I think once you join the service you'll feel the difference of being involved in the continuation of freedom in the United States," he explained.

For 62-year-old Vietnam veteran Jose Castro Blas, today was special considering that six of his other siblings are U.S. military veterans, as well. "Today is a veterans day that honors the living service members of the United States of America that served in the military…if it wasn't for the U.S. veterans, there won't be a United States of America," he shared.

During the ceremony, several were honored as Veterans of the Year, including 95-year-old Guam liberator and Pearl Harbor survivor Paul Landgraf.