I’ve lived in Delaware County for more than 15 years. Many of the regular events of the area are traditions my family has adopted, as well. I have never missed a December First Friday tree lighting, even one year when a bad bout of winter illness threatened it. Farmers Market is a must-do for those beautiful summer Saturdays. But one tradition has remained on my to-do list until this year – attend the Veterans Day parade.

The Delaware Veterans Parade drove, walked, marched, and cycled through downtown Delaware on Saturday, Nov. 2. I was pleased to see hundreds of marching band members, service organizations, community members and businesses supporting and driving the veterans through our downtown. It was incredibly worthwhile to take a mere hour of my day to thank the brave souls whose selfless sacrifices last a lifetime.

This Tuesday, Nov. 11, we celebrate Veterans Day at the Delaware County District Library. Our locations will close for the holiday, but our resources are available 24/7 and are worth a look.

The Delaware County District Library has an ongoing project called Delaware County Veterans and Heroes, which seeks to gather, preserve, and make accessible the experiences of all county veterans. If you, a relative, or someone you know has served in any branch of the armed forces and has a connection with Delaware County, add your story to our collection at www.delawarelibrary.org/services/veterans. The growing collection currently hosts over 600 records of service for Delaware County men and women.

Additionally, the library subscribes to Fold3, an online subscription service powered by Ancestry.com that provides a vast collection of military records, documents, photos and stories. Fold3 will help you discover and share stories about your heroes and the families that supported them. With DCDL’s access to Fold3, you can combine records found on the site with what you have in your own albums and shoeboxes to create an online memorial for someone who served.

A search of Fold3 with my grandfather’s name brought back his WWII draft registration card. It’s amazing what this one, double-sided piece of information can tell me about my grandfather from a single moment in time.

To learn more about veterans and understand the experiences of military veterans, try one of these stories.

• “The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America’s Most Famous Hispanic War Hero” by William Sturkey. The dramatic life of Vietnam War hero Roy Benavidez, revealing how Hispanic Americans have long shaped U.S. history.

• “Soldier Girls: The Battles of Three Women at Home and at War” by Helen Thorpe. Describes the experiences of three women soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq to reveal how their military service has affected their friendship, personal lives and families, detailing the realities of their work on bases and in war zones and how their choices and losses shaped their perspectives.

• “Tuesday’s Promise: One Veteran, One Dog, and Their Bold Quest to Change Lives” by Luis Carlos Montalván. A highly decorated captain in the U.S. Army, Luis Montalván never backed down from a challenge during his two tours of duty in Iraq. After returning home from combat, however, his physical wounds and crippling post-traumatic stress disorder began to take their toll. Then Luis met Tuesday, a sensitive golden retriever trained to assist people with disabilities. This is the story of how two wounded warriors, who had given so much and suffered the consequences, found salvation in each other.

• “Unbroken Bonds of Battle: A Modern Warriors Book of Heroism, Patriotism, and Friendship” by Johnny Joey Jones. Suffering a life-changing injury while deployed in Afghanistan, Jones faced a daunting recovery. But coming home would have been much harder without the support of his brothers and sisters in arms. Through unfiltered and authentic conversations with American heroes in every branch of service, Joey tackles the big questions about life, loss, and, of course, hunting.

• “Service: A Navy SEAL at War” by Marcus Luttrell. The author turns his focus from his own experiences as a combat-trained Navy SEAL to the nature of service on America’s battlefields and the soldiers who give their lives to defend their nation and each other.

• “The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers” by Elizabeth Cobbs. In 1918, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sent 223 women to France. They were masters of the latest technology: the telephone switchboard. General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, demanded female “wire experts” because without communications for even an hour, the army would collapse. Against the political backdrop of 1918, these competent and courageous young women swore the Army oath.

If you have a question that you would like to see answered in this column, mail it to Nicole Fowles, Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015, or call us at 740-362-3861. You can also email your questions by visiting the library’s web site at www.delawarelibrary.org or directly to Nicole at nfowles@delawarelibrary.org. No matter how you contact us, we’re always glad you asked!