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I’m no TV critic, but I feel it is my duty – both as a veteran and as a North Carolina citizen dedicated to providing assistance to other veterans – to urge everyone to tune in at 8 p.m. tonight for UNC-TV’s compelling new documentary, World War II.

The two-hour program , which coincides with the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, really is must-see TV. It’s not just about the various fronts on which the war was waged by our young soldiers, though the stories you hear will stay with you. It’s also about what was going on at the same time back home in North Carolina – especially at our coast, where residents took on the deadly serious task of keeping watch for German submarines.

I was first contacted by UNC-TV about this project around four years ago. The Division of Veterans Affairs, our Commission and partners, have been actively involved in helping producers connect with North Carolina veterans who participated in specific conflicts, or had been present at what we now know to have been momentous turning points. I guarantee you’ll never forget the recollections of Jesse Oxendine who, as a young Lumbee soldier serving his country overseas, helped liberate victimized Jews from German concentration camps.

I was fortunate to see the program at a special premiere event last week, during which several of the featured service members were honored.  I had anticipated something like Ken Burns’ epic World War II series, which was as brutally graphic as it was thorough. I believe this outstanding UNC-TV production is even better in tying interviews to historical footage, such as the service member who had been on a ship in the Pacific that was targeted by Japanese kamikaze pilots.

I commend Tom Howe, director and general manager of UNC-TV, for the leadership needed to get this important documentary made, and I fully agree with his own statement that this is the best production they’ve ever accomplished.  I’d also like to thank Julia Carpenter, a former member of the UNC-TV Board of Trustees, and Rob Teer, current co-chair of the Board, for their significant contributions to this project.

Happy families across our state and nation are eagerly planning homecoming parties for service members whose combat mission in Iraq officially ended this week. But for many of those who served, the trauma they experienced will overshadow any sense of celebration.

It’s not easy to walk away from combat stress, and some of our best and bravest have found themselves in the previously unimaginable position of returning home with drug or alcohol addictions. They need and deserve our support, but the unfortunate stigma of needing mental health services still lingers in the military, causing countless service members to suffer in silence.

I was proud to join Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the former U.S. Director of National Drug Control Policy, when he launched “National Recovery Month” on Wednesday at the Wilmington Treatment Center. Staffed by highly dedicated professionals and hailed as a national model, the center specializes in providing counseling to men and women in service and post-service, as well as their families.

On behalf of all North Carolina veterans and service members, I am proud to acknowledge Gen. McCaffrey’s role in recognizing their needs through his efforts to both improve and increase access to meaningful treatment options. Truly a “Soldier’s General,” he has taken this issue to heart and inspired all who attended to embrace the challenge to do more for those who have sacrificed so much to ensure our freedoms.

The best rank a general can earn is four stars, but the State Nursing Home in Fayetteville is now the proud owner of a perfect five-star review from Medicare.gov.

The 150-bed facility, which has been serving North Carolina veterans since 1999, has steadily improved its rank from three to four and now five stars since the ratings system was introduced about two and a half years ago. It reflects a deficiency-free inspection conducted in March that examined such indicators as health inspections; ratio of nursing staff to residents; quality measures including aspects of residents’ health, physical functioning, mental status and general well being; and meeting fire and life safety requirements.

We are grateful for this recognition and proud of our staff, which works so hard to help our veterans live safe, healthy and meaningful lives.

They say that things tend to lose steam when they turn 65. But like a fine wine, the N.C. Division of Veterans Affairs (NCDVA) just gets better with age.

We marked our 65th anniversary on March 17, but we did so without fanfare. We’ve been too busy assisting an ever-growing population of North Carolina veterans, whose service to our nation is recognized daily by our accredited field representatives.

NCDVA has, of course, undergone much change since it was created in 1945 as the Veterans Affairs Commission by Gov. Robert Cherry, a veteran of World War I. The Commission was broadly supported by the governor and our legislators – many of whom returned from the Great War to find little formal support for their return to civilian life.

In 1958, the Commission became the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1971, amid a reorganization of state agencies, it became a cabinet agency known as the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Six years later, it was reassigned as the Division of Veterans Affairs under the Department of Administration, where it remains today.

I joined the agency in 1971 as a field representative in Kinston, eventually moving in 1988 as Assistant Director to offices in the old Heart of Raleigh Motel – oddly enough, the same place I bunked 20 years before when I reported to the state capital for my U.S. Army enlistment physical exam.

The majority of our staff has seen active service, or has a spouse who has. No matter our age, we remain dedicated to the same essential cause that inspired our establishment 65 years ago:  assisting in the economic, health and well-being of our veterans. These people need and deserve our help, and we’re proud to be their advocate.

Gov. Robert Cherry (seated) is joined by Lt. Col. Wiley Pickens (standing, in light suit), first Director of the Veterans Affairs Commission, and other leaders in his office at the State Capitol in 1945.

He was born in 1910, four years before the Guns of August signaled the start of The Great War, back when the average life expectancy for men in America was 48.4 years.

Jesse B. Dafford was born and raised in Duplin County, where he started his teaching career in a one-room school in Beulaville and become something of a local legend for his raccoon hunting skills. The call of duty led him abroad during World War II, when he served with the Ninth U.S. Army in combat operations throughout Europe and the Pacific Theater.

When he finished, he went back right home, where he served local students and families 50-plus years, with more than 30 of them as principal of C.W. Dobbins Elementary School in Wallace. He also is a senior deacon at Greater St. Luke’s Holy Church in Rose Hill.

Thirty months ago, when his health declined, Daffard became a resident at the State Veterans Nursing Home in Fayetteville. He is confined to a wheelchair now, but his contributions to the military and his community are still well remembered.

It was no surprise, then, that a crowd gathered on Jan. 18 to celebrate Dafford’s 100th birthday. Among the dignitaries was Sen. Charlie Albertson of Duplin County and school system officials. Daffard’s wife Estelle, who will turn 94 in April, attended with the party with their two daughters and a niece who traveled for the occasion from Washington, D.C. A busload of friends from their church, ranging from toddlers to near contemporaries, were there, too.

The Senator, whose older brother was among Dafford’s hunting buddies, and others warmly commended him on his lifetime of public service. I was especially struck by gentleman from his church who recalled “Mr. Dafford’s insistence that we always get good grades. He said we’d appreciate the hard work later, and I can tell you, sir, that I certainly do.”

While the Treaty of Versailles officially ended “The Great War” on June 28, 1919, the hostilities of World War I actually ceased months before – on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. A year later, Nov. 11 was declared “Armistice Day” by President Wilson:

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

With subsequent battles taking its toll on American troops, President Eisenhower renamed the observance Veteran’s Day in 1954 and called upon “the entire citizenry … to join hands in the common purpose” of  honoring those who served our country in valor.

Their wishes still resonate here in North Carolina, which is the home of more than 775,000 vets and nearly 120,000 service members. We also proudly count about 25,000 members of the N.C. National Guard and Reserve Forces. To honor them and those who came before, ceremonies, parades and remembrances are planned across our state, including our State Veterans Nursing Homes in Fayetteville and Salisbury.

I ask all North Carolinians to join us by taking a moment to reflect and thank those who have served our country with honor, and especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Fly your flag. Go to a celebration or a parade. Visit an aging vet or thank one you see on the street. You’ll be glad you did.

Gov. Perdue signs a proclamation honoring Veterans Day.

There are plenty of reasons why North Carolina calls itself the “most military friendly state” in the nation. This is the home of more than 775,000 vets and nearly 120,000 service members who are stationed here. We also proudly count about 25,000 members of the N.C. National Guard and Reserve Forces.

That means we also should be the most “flag friendly” when President Obama issues the annual June 14 Flag Day proclamation to display the flag of the United States on all government buildings, and to urge all citizens to display it on their homes and businesses.

President Wilson called for the first Flag Day ceremony on June 14, 1916, to memorialize day in 1777 when the Continental Congress triumphantly replaced the British flag with the Stars and Stripes. It did not become an official, annual observance until President Truman signed legislation in 1949.

As we all recall from grade school, the original United States flag – likely made by Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross – featured 13 white stars in a circle on a field of blue and 13 red and white stripes, one for each state. Our state flag was adopted by the North Carolina Convention on June 22, 1861, and revised after the end of the Civil War. It, too, may be flown in tribute on Flag Day.

These great symbols of our nation’s patriotism should be treated with respect. If you have questions regarding proper care and display, there are numerous helpful guides available online.

On Saturday, about 100 North Carolina veterans – including about a dozen who reside in our State Veterans Nursing Homes in Fayetteville and Salisbury – will pause to remember their roles in one of the most storied undertakings in America’s military history: the D-Day Invasion of Normandy.

They were young then, most of them not even 20. They had expected to land on the beach days earlier, but rough weather kept them confined on small boats in choppy seas. Combined with nervous anticipation, many were literally sick with fear.

On that gray morning, against what seemed like insurmountable odds, they joined thousands of other troops from across our nation on the long road to the end of World War II. Sixty-five years later, they still recall their experiences vividly.

Most who survived did so with physical injuries or mental anguish. They remember being the only one from their platoon to make it past the beachhead. They remember the brother in arms whose last words were wishes of consolation to his family. They remember the intense camaraderie that united them in the darkest times and the elation at seeing the hopeful smiles of those later liberated from tyranny.

We invite all North Carolinians to join us as we remember them, too, and honor their service and sacrifice. Special remembrances are planned at our nursing homes, and other activities – including a major celebration at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans – will be held.

No matter how you choose to mark the occasion, remember the valor of those who served our nation on that dramatic day. Remember those who died in service, and celebrate the survival and strength of spirit of those who came back home.

Personally, I’ve never quite understood the idea of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, but that didn’t stop me last week from celebrating the golden anniversary of the Golden Knights, the elite parachute team based at Fort Bragg.

Led by the Honorable Pete Geren, Secretary of the U.S. Army, and Lt. Col. Anthony Dill, Commander of the Golden Knights, about 2,000 people gathered at the base on Monday to mark the unit’s 50th year of service. Inclement weather forced the event indoors and called off a much-anticipated precision landing, but it remained a great day to commemorate one of our state’s finest military institutions.

Serving as exemplary ambassadors for the armed forces, the Golden Knights have performed their jaw-dropping demonstrations across our nation – including a jump-in at the State Veterans Nursing Home in Fayetteville – and around the globe. While many enjoy their land-on-a-dime stunts purely for the thrill of a great show, I see the training, dedication and professionalism form that foundation of the U.S. Army.

The men and women of the Golden Knights are more than just showmen; while their style may differ from their counterparts, their service and sacrifice is just as great. Nine members have been lost in combat, 25 more have died in the line of duty, and countless others have been injured in the name of protecting American freedom and values.

On behalf of the N.C. Division of Veterans Affairs, and all the North Carolina veterans whose selfless commitment we honor, I thank the Golden Knights for their remarkable achievements and wish them continued success in providing a positive message of service.