Starbucks is once again saying "thank you" to veterans, military service members and military spouses this Veterans Day with free coffee. On Veterans Day, on Nov. 11, Starbucks will offer a free tall hot-brewed coffee or iced coffee to those groups of people.Related video above: Just How Annoying Are You at Starbucks? Rude Habits You Should Break NowTo help support the veteran community, the coffee chain will also donate $200,000, split evenly between Team Red, White & Blue and Team Rubicon, two organizations that support veterans. Starbucks was previously applauded for its work with Team Red, White & Blue by the organization's Director of Marketing and Communications, Bana Miller."We are honored to partner with Starbucks to support more veterans on their mental health journeys by offering activities, challenges, and events to challenge mental health stigma while keeping them moving," said Miller in November 2020. Outside of Veterans Day, Starbucks is committed to supporting veterans, military service members, and military spouses throughout the year through various goals and initiatives. Among its goals is to hire 5,000 veterans and military spouses each year and open 132 military stores, Starbucks locations near military bases primarily staffed by veterans and military spouses, by 2022."Military stores also serve as a foundation and model of engagement for hundreds of stores in military communities to advance veteran causes, accelerate the hiring of veteran and military spouses and bridge the civilian-military divide," read a 2019 release from Starbucks.

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) — Despite a 100-mile and three-hour trip to reach his destination, Stewart Boone didn't think twice about turning down the invitation.

The veteran is dressing up for an occasion at the Virginia War Memorial. It is an event nearly 80 years in the making.

At this gathering, Mr. Boone is something of a celebrity. Signatures and snapshots with the featured guest are a must.

WTVR

The 98-year-old is a member of a fraternity whose ranks are thinning. The Kansas native survived the Battle of the Bulge.

Boone’s unit of the 99th Division was overrun by Germans during the surprise attack in December of 1944.

“They just demolished our battalion,” said Boone.

Dozens of his fellow soldiers were captured. Many were killed.

“They kept firing as we took a few steps we’d hit the ground,” recalled Boone. “Finally we got. We got out of there.”

Provided to WTVR

Boone and 10 others ran through knee-high snow and bone-chilling temperatures.

“It was 12 inches of snow and 12 degrees above zero,” said Boone.

Their miraculous escape earned them the nickname "The Lucky 11." Boone is the sole survivor.

“Well, I think the Good Lord was taking care of me,” said Boone.

Members of the Battle of the Bulge Association hang on to every one of Boone’s words.

Alan Cunningham, whose father survived the bulge, said opportunities to meet veterans in person are growing more rare.

“We find that the numbers of the veterans are dropping very quickly,” said chairman of the board Alan Cunningham. “Oh, I really appreciate his being here. It really adds something when we have meetings and to be at the Virginia War Memorial of all places.”

WTVR

As Boone soaks up the attention, he reminds everyone to remember the soldiers who never returned.

“No one left behind. That is a good motto,” said Boone.

When she was two, Mary Ann Coates Smith’s father James was killed in the battle. She said meeting Boone is a living link to what she lost.

“Oh, it’s wonderful. It’s like here he is. We all got excited. It’s wonderful. It is a good feeling knowing that we can still communicate with him,” said Mary Ann.

As the day draws to a close, a gift of patriotic music plays for the aging veteran. It's a score to remember as the talented Mr. Boone leaves on a high note.

“It is good. It is good to be recognized," he said.

This story was originally reported by Greg McQuade on wtvr.com.

Every year on Veterans Day, we honor those who served the country.

For two women, honoring veterans is a year-long mission. They make that happen with a full tank of gas and a whole lot of camera equipment packed up for the trip. A small crew is making sure some stories will be heard forever.

“My grandfather served in the Navy,” said filmmaker Elizabeth Suter. “William Spears. He never really talked about what happened in World War II. Now, as an adult, I look back and think there’s this huge amount of his life I didn’t know. Those things that happened to him in World War II are part of what shaped him.”

This realization led to a calling for Elizabeth.

“We’re losing about 245 World War II veterans a day,” she continued. “In the US, there’s about 240,000 left. It puts such an urgency on us to travel.”

Friend Tracie Hunter is the founder of the nonprofit Beyond the Call. She and Elizabeth go across the country shooting interviews with World War II veterans.

“We’ll hop in the car, literally drive across Texas to El Paso to shoot a story,” she smiled. “We’ll drive up to Ohio to capture a story.”

It’s veterans like Dan McBride.

“He was at D-Day,” said Elizabeth. “At the time of World War II, paratrooping was in its infancy. America sent the guys over. This was the first time paratrooping was used in a war situation. Many of these guys, the first plane they got into, they also jumped out of.”

“Where did you grow up?” asked Elizabeth on a Zoom call with Dan.

“Well, I haven’t!” he laughed.

Seventy-six years since the end of the war, Dan remembers the key dates of his story.

“First time I jumped out? October 8, 1942,” Dan said. “Fort Benning, Georgia. I was 18-years-old.”

“Wow. Were you scared?”

“When the guy said, ‘Go!’, I figured, ah, what the hell. I went, and I loved it!”

“These stories are so vital for future generations,” Elizabeth said. “To date, we have filmed 25 veterans’ stories.”

Of those, some of the stories are on the Beyond the Call YouTube channel. Others, like Dan’s story, are featured in their film streaming through Vimeo On Demand, A Rendezvous With Destiny.

“We are all one generation from being forgotten,” said Elizabeth. “What we can do is document these stories so they are not forgotten. That’s the big thing with Beyond the Call is keeping these stories alive.”

LORAIN, Ohio — Country legend John Rich held a concert in Lorain, Ohio, on Wednesday to benefit the Travis Mills Foundation, a nonprofit that supports post-9/11 veterans at a retreat in Maine.

The organization helps veterans overcome physical and emotional scars — veterans like U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills who completed three tours of duty in Afghanistan and was critically injured by a roadside bomb.

“Fast forward, ya know, I’m so grateful to be alive that I don’t dwell on what happened," Mills said.

Mills lost both of his legs and parts of his arms that day. He is one of five quadruple-amputees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to survive his injuries.

“I don’t consider myself a ‘hero’ by any means, but I do know that I’ve been fortunate enough to make it through my injuries and leave behind some really good guys that didn’t make it home," he said.

With that in mind, Mills and his wife Kelsey started the Travis Mills Foundation about eight years ago. The foundation provides a retreat for veterans and their families just to be together, with each other, with other veterans. Through various programs, it helps these men and women overcome physical and emotional obstacles, strengthen their families, and provide well-deserved rest and relaxation in an all-inclusive, all-expenses-paid, barrier-free experience.

Chris Miller, a Marine Corps veteran from Northeast Ohio, has been shot twice, stabbed once, and sustained a 50-foot cliff fall with two other Marines that broke his back.

“They know what happened to me. They know the challenges I’ve faced ever since that day,” he said.

Travis Mills Foundation.

He and his family have first-hand knowledge of both that pain of injury and the retreat that stepped up and helped.

“It’s very emotional, and every day’s a challenge for so many veterans like myself that just making it through a day is hard, but you know what? So many friends from the foundation now have become family,” said Miller.

The veterans and their families who attend programs at the Travis Mills Foundation come from throughout the country.

“I’m grateful that a country star like John Rich will be helping spread the news about the foundation and what we do for our nation’s heroes,” Mills said. “It was them, my fellow veterans, who inspired me to create the foundation after my injury."

Click here to learn more about the foundation.

This story was originally published by Rob Powers at WEWS.