Veterans Day, a day set aside for honoring military service, will be celebrated in the United States Friday.

There are 16,000 military veterans living in Butler County, according to John Cyprian, Butler County Veterans Services director.

For William “Bill” Cook Jr., 94, of Eau Claire, the day is a reminder of his service as a paratrooper with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II, service which saw him parachute behind enemy lines on D-Day and into the Netherlands during the less successful Operation Market Garden.

For the Gross family, Veterans Day is an example of history repeating itself.

Three generations of the family graduated from Knoch High School, joined the Army and served in Germany, with Capt. Zachary Lee Gross stationed there now.