Two weeks ago, I received an invitation from Sunapee High School for a Veterans Day Breakfast Appreciation Event on November 13, 2025 8:30 am.  My wife was shy about going, saying this event was only for veterans.  I told her it indeed included her.

She eventually agree to come with me. In preparation for this event, I prepared my introduction for my wife.

 I thought this introduction was important enough to share with my two sons.

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Good morning, everyone. My name is Steve Priest, and my wife and I live on Perkins Pond.

 My wife, Catherine Daly Priest, didn’t want to come today.

 She said, “I didn’t serve in the military.”

 But I’d like to share a story with you — one that might make you think differently about what service really means.

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When I was in the U.S. Army, Catherine and I were stationed in Germany.

I worked at a small Army base, Miesau Army Depot, repairing radar systems for the HAWK missile — part of our air defense.

 Catherine, a registered nurse, worked just five kilometers away at Landstuhl General Hospital.

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While I was fixing circuit boards, she was receiving wounded, sick, and injured soldiers flown in from Vietnam and other conflict zones.

 They arrived at Ramstein Air Force Base and were transferred directly to Landstuhl, where she cared for them until they could be sent to Walter Reed Hospital in the States.

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If you want to understand the kind of injuries she saw, just turn on the news today.

 It was intense. It was emotional. And it was service — every bit as real and vital as mine.

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So when Catherine says she wasn’t in the military, I respectfully disagree.

 I thank her for her service.

 And I salute her — not just as my wife, but as someone who stood shoulder to shoulder with those who wore the uniform.

 Thank you.

 Catherine, I Love You