Quevedo believes it is an honor to celebrate Veterans Day and Military Families Appreciation Month. “I think it is very important to celebrate military families, and to honor the service from the members and their families,” he said. “It is a great sacrifice on the members and the family who has to support the service member. The challenges are great, being away from their families, and it brings large challenges to family dynamics. Mental welfare is one of the great challenges.”

For Quevedo, it’s important that non-service members realize how far-reaching the impact of sacrifice can be, especially when it comes to milestones often taken for granted. “It is a tremendous sacrifice, to be away for a large portion of the year, away from your family. It is very important to recognize that one of the hardships that come from missing time with family is missing birthdays and significant events” Quevedo explained.

As he reflected on his military family members, Quevedo radiated a great deal of pride: “I believe that Veterans Day shines a light on the service of service members across all branches. Our military service members are providing protection for the country, and there are many ways to do that. You can serve in combat, and you can perform administrative duties. Any way that we can recognize [these forms of] service is important, and Veterans Day is an important way to do that.”