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From left, U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Adams, commander of the 117th Air Refueling Wing based out of Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, Alabama, and Chief Master Sgt. Nathan Fallin, 117 ARW command chief, pose for a photo at the 76th National Veterans Day awards dinner hosted by the National Veterans Day Foundation on Nov. 10, 2023, in Birmingham, Alabama. A perpetual National Veterans Award was created in Birmingham for America’s first official National Veterans Day observance on November 11, 1954 as authorized by Congress. Its purpose is to honor an outstanding veteran in the United States each year who has made the greatest contribution to further the patriotic interests of veterans and veteran organizations throughout the country; and the award is presented at the National Veterans Award Dinner in Birmingham. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Shelby Thurman)