We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. Veterans Day, which we observe Thursday, provides an opportunity to pause and reflect on the tremendous debt we owe to all who have served our country.

Veterans Day is meaningful for all of us, especially with so many Americans on active duty and in harm's way around the world. It is a time to remember and honor the men and women throughout our history who have stepped up and sacrificed to keep our nation safe and free.

Along with other veterans and active military personnel who work at the Attorney General's Office, I'll be taking part in the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade on Thursday morning. The parade is always a wonderful event, rich with deep feelings and poignant memories, and I hope to see many of you there.

I would like to share a favorite poem of mine, which is one of the most evocative tributes ever written about veterans and their sacrifices. "In Flanders Fields" was composed in World War I by John McCrae, a Canadian physician and lieutenant colonel, after he witnessed the death of a 22-year-old friend during trench fighting in the Second Battle of Ypres, Belgium. McCrae died three years later of pneumonia while still on active duty in Europe.

In Flanders fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.