A/N: this story is set several years in the future. Parker has graduated from the Coast Guard Academy, and he married a young woman he met while he was living with Rebecca in England.

Coast Guard Commander Parker Booth stood looking into the mirror over his dresser, carefully adjusting his tie and making sure all of his ribbons, medals, and decorations were in the correct place on the jacket of his dark blue dress uniform. He picked up the clothes brush from the dresser and ran it across his shoulders one more time, trying to make sure he looked ship shape. As much as he loved his dress uniform, trying to keep the lint off was always a major undertaking, but he decided it was worth the trouble to look good, especially today. He turned sideways to get a good view of his profile, and then turned back to face the mirror and smiled. Not bad for a guy my age...I guess I look okay in my dress blues even at forty...

His musings were interrupted by a whirlwind of commotion in the doorway of his bedroom. "Daddy! Daddy!" His ten year old twin sons came bounding into the room and ran over to give him a hug. Ian, the older twin by five minutes, gave his father a big Boothy grin. "Are you ready to take us to the parade and the assembly at school? We don't want to be late!"

"I'll be ready to go in a few minutes. Is your mom ready?" Parker checked his appearance in the mirror one more time. "I imagine she's not waiting very patiently, is she?"

Henry, the younger twin, shook his head vigorously with all the serious demeanor a ten year old boy could muster. "She says to tell you that you look fine and that we need to get this show on the road."

"Oh, she does, does she?" Parker smiled broadly as he tousled his son's hair. "Okay, I guess we'd better not keep her waiting any longer. We don't want her to be upset." Parker chuckled softly. His wife was as fastidious about promptness as any commanding officer he'd ever met, and he knew better than to cross her on this important occasion.

"Daddy? What's veterinarian's day for anyway?" Ian had a puzzled look on his face. "Why do you have to get dressed up in your fancy uniform for animal doctors? That doesn't make any sense."

"It's Veteran's Day, silly." Parker picked up his cover and gently prodded the boys out of his bedroom. "On this day we remember veterans...all of the men and women who've proudly served in the Armed Forces to keep our country safe over the years. It's a very important day."

Henry, always the more inquisitive of the twins, paused as he thought about his father's explanation. "Why?"

"Why? Well, there's lots of reasons why, I suppose, but I'll give you the two most important ones, okay?" Parker handed his sons their jackets as they got ready to leave. "First, there have been many times in history when our country or another country has been in danger from an enemy, and we needed soldiers and sailors to help protect us. That can be a really scary job, and sometimes they're in danger, but they don't ever give up. They keep working hard to help us stay safe." He paused to give his sons time to think about what he'd said before he continued. "Second, there have been several generations of the Booth family in military service throughout history. It's kind of a family tradition for a Booth man to be in the military, so it's a personal way for you and me to honor all of our family members who came before us."

"Daddy, wasn't Pops in the Army?" Ian fidgeted as his mother tried to zip his jacket. "I can't remember what he told us about that.."

Parker sighed sadly. It had been almost a year and a half since his own little family had last visited his father and Bones. It had been an excellent career move for him to take a C4&IT position with the Coast Guard's Ninth District in Cleveland, Ohio, but moving there had meant that his boys hadn't been able to spend as much time with their grandparents as they had when he'd been stationed in Annapolis. "Yes, Pops was an Army Ranger, which means he was a highly trained soldier with a lot of very important skills. Not everyone qualifies to be a Ranger, you know, but Pops did, and he's very proud of that. Mommy's Daddy, your Grandpa John, was a Captain with the Royal Marines in Great Britain." Parker gently urged his boys out to the garage as his wife Meredith turned off the lights and locked the doors behind them. "Pops' father, who was your great grandfather, was in the US Air Force, your Great Uncle Jared was in the US Navy, and your great, great grandfather, the first Pops, was in the US Army many years ago as well."

"Daddy, can me and Henry be in the Army, too?", Ian asked as his father helped him into their new electric car and fastened the seatbelt around him.

"Henry and I, Ian.", Gently correcting his son without hesitation, Parker smiled to himself as he remembered Bones doing the same thing to him so many times when he was a child. "When you grow up, if you want to be in the military, you can do that, but if you want to do other things instead, that's okay, too. You don't have to decide for a few years. Smiling at his wife as she sat in the passenger seat, he pulled out of the garage. "Okay. Let's get this show on the road."

Oooooooooo

The Veteran's Day parade that was put on by the boys' school district had been a great success. Ian and Henry were both part of the school band for the fourth grade and they had practiced their parade piece for several weeks. As the fourth grade band passed the gathered spectators playing a squeaky, squawky version of Yankee Doodle, Parker and Meredith beamed with pride. Other bands from different grade levels played patriotic songs, and there were groups on horseback and clowns in tiny cars joining in the festivities. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled Veterans of America and other civic organizations had floats honoring the service personnel from several past global conflicts as well as current military personnel. Large groups of retired servicemen and women marched proudly down the street toward the school, stepping smartly in time to the marches that were played by the high school bands.

After the parade, people started to file into the high school performing arts auditorium for the assembly. Commander Booth took his place on the stage along with other active duty officers from the different branches of the military. It was a wonderful ceremony that began with the Pledge of Allegiance. The high school choirs sang the Star Spangled Banner and a medley of patriotic songs. Veterans from several past conflicts were asked to stand and be recognized, inspiring several standing ovations from the audience. Parker and the other active service personnel also stood to be recognized. It was a thrilling moment for him as he thought about all the men and women who'd served before him. He considered it a great honor to be counted as one of their number.

Finally the School District Superintendent stood to introduce the day's guest speaker. "Ladies and Gentlemen, if I could have your attention, please. Today we are honored to have a very special guest with us. When we put together our program for this assembly, we wanted our guest speaker to embody all the qualities that make our military service personnel so valuable to us. This man has served during many conflicts….Kosovo, The Gulf Wars, Iraq, and Afghanistan as a member of the US Army's elite 75th Ranger Regiment. When he retired from active military service he remained a reservist for a few years while he served his country in another capacity...as the Special Agent in Charge of the Major Crimes Unit in Washington, DC, where his unit had the distinction of having the highest solve rate in the country…."

Parker's heart rate accelerated as he scanned the crowd. "No way.", he said to himself. "It can't be. Dad hasn't felt good lately...not with those bad feet...I know he's not here...is he?" Then Parker remembered that Meredith had been on the planning committee for the Veteran's Day program, and he knew she'd made arrangements for him to have a surprise visitor.

The superintendent continued with his remarks. "This man is the epitome of everything good about our country, and we're thankful for his service to our country. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Sergeant Major Seeley Booth, US Army, retired."

The crowd roared its approval as the elder Booth, dressed in his dark blue Class A's, stepped up on the stage and stopped to embrace Parker, who wiped tears from his eyes as he greeted his father. "Dad...I can't believe it's really you…", Parker whispered. "God, I've missed you…"

"Yeah, well, when our wives get together and get their minds set on something, it's gonna happen, you know? You look great, Parker."

"Thanks, Dad." Parker grinned as his father hugged him. Although slightly stooped with the passage of his 70 years, Seeley Booth was still trim and broad shouldered, and rightfully proud that his Class A's still fit. "You look great, too. I guess you'd better give your speech…"

"Yeah, I guess so." Booth turned and faced the crowd in the auditorium. "Good afternoon. I was very pleased and proud to be asked to speak to you this afternoon. I'm not much of a public speaker, so I'll keep it brief. The members of the Armed Forces are ready, willing, and able to step up in order to protect this country. They put their lives on the line to keep our country free. People often ask me what they can do to offer support to the soldiers and sailors who are protecting us, and sometimes it's hard to know how to answer that question. There are several organizations, such as Blue Star Mothers, who send care packages to our personnel overseas. However, it's also important for us to assist organizations that offer emotional support to our veterans and their families, such as Operation Homefront or Soldiers' Angels. These organizations can always use donations." Booth paused as he looked out over the crowd. "However, as I myself have experienced, sometimes the best thing you can do for a person is to listen to them without making a judgment. As a soldier, just knowing that someone was on my side, no matter what, often gave me the strength to go on. I have my lovely wife…" Booth waved at Brennan. "...but it doesn't have to be a spouse. In fact, sometimes it's better if it's a stranger, because some things that happen in a war zone are too horrible to tell the people we love. Volunteer at the VA hospitals. Just be there for them...be there to listen to their stories of what they saw and experienced without judgment or preconceived ideas. If you can do that for another person, it could be worth more than any donation you might make to an organization. You might just end up saving a life. Happy Veteran's Day. Thank you."

As the audience applauded, Booth stepped away from the podium and turned to shake hands with everyone on the stage. When he came to Parker again, he stopped and smiled. "Happy Veteran's Day, Parker, and many more…"

With tears in his eyes, Parker reached out to shake his father's hand. "You, too, Dad...you, too."

oooooooooo

Thank you for reading my story. If you're in the mood for another story this Veteran's Day, check out my story called "The Zippo". Laura.