COVINGTON, Ky. – City Hall will be closed Wednesday in honor of Veterans Day and will reopen Thursday morning.

Technically, this site in Devou Park honors the fallen heroes who gave their lives while fighting for this country, and thus would be more appropriate for Memorial Day.

But we think the solemnity of this site – the distanced view, the corner of Devou “carved out” and set aside for this purpose, the clean lines of hard stone – makes it just as appropriate to honor all the military veterans of all branches who served this country in times of peace and war.

We also think that the snow and obviously frigid temperatures on the day this image was captured speak to the harsh landscapes and suffering that military service has sometimes required.

Whether it was taking a beach under mortar and machine-gun fire … fighting the blowing sand or sea spray … enduring the never-ending horrors of a frigid mountainside or a humid jungle … walking a minefield … landing on a bobbing deck in a turbulent sea ...  or fighting panic in a narrow walkway as a sub slid deep into the depths, Covington’s sons and daughters have demonstrated courage galore.