Katie Couric's Notebook: Veterans Day

There is an old Chinese proverb, "When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them."

It's a very apt way to describe what Veterans Day is all about. There are around 24-million veterans in the United States including nearly two million men and women who have fought in Iraq or Afghanistan.

We enjoy freedom and liberty every day in the United States. We should remember the men and women who planted those seeds, not just today but everyday.

It is unacceptable that on any given night more than 100-thousand veterans sleep on the streets and a third of all homeless men in America are veterans.

It's unfair that more than a million veterans lacked health insurance last year too poor to pay for their own but not poor enough to qualify for certain V-A benefits.

The patriotism of our nation's servicemen and women doesn't end when they return home nor should our gratitude.

Thank you all for your service.

I'm Dave Price, CBS News.