On Veterans Day we remember all those who have served our nation.

There were several events around the Twin Cities on Monday honoring all the heroes who put their lives on the line for the country.

Meg Poulton’s father, Major George Metcalf, served as an Army chaplain during World War II.

“He enlisted because it was the right thing to do,” Poulton said. “He did the darndest to stay alive.”

Metcalf wrote a book called “With Cross and Shovel” from letters he wrote during the war.

“He carried the cross with him, and he carried a shovel,” Poulton said.

Metcalf used a shovel to bury the dead and dig foxholes to escape enemy fire.

“He spoke of the shovel as being his, effectively, a friend and a companion because it saved his life,” Poulton said. Metcalf met General Patton and survived the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach.