Henry Hilson spent World War II in Europe and the Pacific before the space race called. When NASA came to Huntsville, Hilson helped propel our country from the 1950s toward a brand new future.

He is not alone.

John Harrod first stepped foot in Vietnam more than 40 years ago, with the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division. Now, he leads the Transcendental Meditation Program of Birmingham, where vets with post-traumatic stress disorder find new ways of coping.

He is not alone.

Twanna Davis drives very big trucks — on very dangerous roads. In 2009-2010 that service was in the deserts of Iraq, as an 88M Heavy equipment Operator. These days, when she’s not serving with the Army National Guard, she’s in the circulation office at Advance Central Services, helping serve our customers.

She is not alone.

These three veterans stand with 400,000-plus Alabama veterans who have served our country — men and women woven into the fabric of our communities, living right beside us. We see them every day. But it’s easy to forget their history. It's easy not to ever thank them for their service.

Over the next month, we at the Alabama Media Group are stepping out from behind the camera to stand beside the people who served this country.

We believe it matters. And we’re asking you to join us. Wield your cell phone camera for a mission. Help us show the faces of our freedom. We want them all: farmers and executives and ironworkers; sons and mothers and grandfathers and best friends.

I met Marty Gordon walking past our building here in Birmingham, flag on shirt and hat. He’s had a stroke, and battled other demons after leaving Vietnam, where he fought with the Marines. He believes we have to stand together. "It can't just be veterans helping veterans. It's got to be everybody helping veterans," he said.

How can you play your part? Find a veteran in your life, neighborhood, church or school, and take a photo of them — with you. It can be someone you know and love, or someone you just met and want to thank. Share the photo on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Use the hashtag #ourvets. Be sure to include the veteran's name (as well as your name), when they served and in what branch, doing what, and what they do now. And if you’re a veteran, tell us about you, too.

[Don't see your photo in Part 1 of the gallery above? Check out Parts 2 and 3 of the #ourvets gallery]



You can also email the photo to photos@al.com.

We'll show as many #ourvets photos as we can each week on AL.com, along with stories highlighting veterans around Alabama (or those with a connection to our state). We'll use these personal photos to help us draw attention to the veterans in our lives, and Veterans Day events that hold importance here: from the nation's largest and oldest Veterans Day event in Birmingham to celebrations in Huntsville and along the Gulf Coast.

[Across Alabama, Veterans Day observances coming together.]

Let's make next month's Veterans Day something we all celebrate together.

Let’s start now together, standing with #ourvets.

Michelle Holmes is Alabama Media Group vice president of content.

