WASHINGTON - Military service, particularly in the Gulf War, may be linked to development of Lou Gehrig's disease, the Institute of Medicine said Friday.

The evidence, however, is limited and inconsistent, the Institute said.

The degenerative nerve disease, formally known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, gradually destroys the ability to control movement. Patients lose their ability to move or speak, but their minds remain unaffected. Most victims die of respiratory failure within a few years.

Thank you. Thanks for coming. Secretary Nicholson, thank you for your kind words and for your leadership. Members of the Cabinet, Members of Congress, members of the United State military, all veterans, all volunteers who have sworn to uphold the security of the United States, I thank your families for being here and I thank our veterans. I am proud to join you on this day of honor.

On this day, in this month, at this hour, our nation remembers the moment when the guns of World War I went silent - and we recognize the service and the sacrifice of our nation's veterans. From Valley Forge to Vietnam, from Kuwait to Kandahar, from Berlin to Baghdad, our veterans have borne the costs of America's wars -and they have stood watch over America's peace. The American people are grateful to the veterans and all who have fought for our freedom.

CHICAGO - When Maj. Margaret Oglesby went to Washington in 2004 for a celebration of black women veterans who had served in combat, she was stunned to feel, for once, not alone.

Throughout her nearly nine-month deployment to Afghanistan, she was accustomed to being in her own category: a woman, an African-American, an officer, a National Guard member.

"When I saw all the other women who had gone through what I'd gone through, it was amazing," Major Oglesby remembers. "There was just unconditional love in that room."

This is a tough time to be an American soldier. All the more reason to thank a veteran today.

The war in Iraq is intensifying. In Afghanistan, the Taliban are suddenly resurgent. Some Army and Marine units are being sent back to Iraq for a third or even fourth tour of duty. More National Guard troops are involved in front-line fighting than in any time in recent history.

All that gives this Veterans Day even more meaning and brings home, again, the debt we owe the men and women who volunteer to serve. Their lives are filled with danger; many are paying the ultimate price - their lives.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Florida's only living World War I veteran got a long-delayed medal Friday as he smiled at the hubbub and recalled his service on a battleship nearly 90 years ago.

Ernest Charles Pusey, 111, wasn't feeling too talkative but seemed to enjoy the attention as Gov. Jeb Bush awarded him a World War I Victory Medal at a gathering in the retired General Motors worker's trailer on the day before Veterans Day.

"It looks pretty good, doesn't it?" Bush said, placing the glass-encased medal on the table next to Pusey's recliner.

Pusey was in the U.S. Navy from 1917 to 1919 aboard the battleship USS Wyoming, which spent much of the war patrolling the sea lanes around the British Isles.

CAMP LEJEUNE - The Marine Corps celebrates its 231st birthday today, a celebration created by Maj. Gen. John A Lejeune in 1921.

That tale is but one part of the legacy of the base that now bears Lejeune's name, the base that has housed the warriors who have created Marine Corps' history since 1941 from the Pacific islands to Iraq.

To learn that history, the base has a self-guided tour to a number of landmarks and areas that celebrate Marine history.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Vietnam veterans who sprayed the herbicides like Agent Orange decades ago in Vietnam are at an increased risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic breathing problems, a new study shows.

Agent Orange, a weed killer containing dioxin, was widely used during the Vietnam War, Dr. Han K. Kang of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, DC and colleagues note in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Overall, two thirds of the herbicides used during the conflict contained dioxin.

Three Medal of Honor winners will be among 10 veterans inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame during a dinner Friday in Oklahoma City.

A reception, followed by the dinner, will be held at 6 p.m. at Oklahoma Christian University, 2500 E. Memorial Road.

The Medal of Honor inductees are Army Staff Sgt. Ruben Rivers of Hotulka, a veteran of World War II; Army Pfc. Manuel Perez of Oklahoma City, a World War II veteran; and Army Lt. Gen. George Price Hays of El Reno, a veteran of both world wars.

ATLANTA, Nov. 6 - The Home Depot(R), the world's largest home improvement retailer, today announced that the Company is offering all active duty personnel, reservists, retired military, veterans and their families a 10 percent discount off their purchases in honor of Veterans Day. The offer is valid on purchases of up to $2,000 for a maximum of $200 between Nov. 9 and Nov. 12, 2006, at The Home Depot stores, The Home Depot Floor Store(R) locations, The Home Depot Landscape Supply(R) stores and EXPO Design Center(R) locations.

"This Veterans Day we will honor the brave men and women who are serving and who have served our country in the military ensuring many of the freedoms and comforts we enjoy each day," said Bob Nardelli, chairman, president & CEO of The Home Depot. "We want to support these heroes as they look to the future, whether it be to improve their homes or in looking for opportunities once they have completed their military service. The in-store discount and the participation of Chem-Dry in the VetFran program are our ways of showing our support and appreciation for their service."

For two area war veterans, the guilty verdict handed down Tuesday for a 60-year-old North Fond du Lac man charged in federal court for wearing military medals he did not earn is well deserved.

Rudy Jaeger of Brownsville and Bud Ruckman of Fond du Lac testified Tuesday at the Federal Building in Milwaukee during the one-day trial for William James Richardson, who was found guilty of wearing military medals of valor not issued to him by Congress.

Richardson wore the medals while serving on the Fond du Lac American Legion firing squad. Richardson can be seen in the picture on the right.