MASON, Mich — As the nation prepares to honor Veterans Day, local Marine veteran Chris Buck is reflecting on 26 years of service while celebrating with fellow veterans in the community.
- Marine veteran Chris Buck reflects on 26 years of service as Marine Corps celebrates 250th anniversary Monday and Veterans Day Tuesday.
- Buck plans to honor the week with fellow Marines at local American Legion.
- Ingham County Animal Shelter offers free pet adoptions to veterans all week as community tribute for Veterans Day.
Buck enlisted in the Marine Corps in fall 1990, initially planning to serve just four years.
"Went to bootcamp in the fall of 1990 and was going to do four years and get out but I had too much fun, so I stayed in," Buck said.
WATCH BELOW: Local Marine reflects on service during Corps' 250th anniversary and Veterans Day week
His military career began with duty in Puerto Rico before advancing to leadership roles.
"Finished all my infantry training and schooling and then went out to California and had two deployments out to Iraq as a Commander," Buck said.
Buck acknowledges the personal sacrifices that come with military service, particularly time away from family.
"I'll never forget my first deployment when we had kids. They were two years old, that was a deployment where I just thought..." Buck said, trailing off as he recalled the difficulty of leaving young children behind.
This week holds special significance for Buck, as Monday marks the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps, followed by Veterans Day on Tuesday. He plans to commemorate both occasions with local veterans.
"Actually, heading over to the legion over here, I have a couple buddies I'm meeting there," Buck said.
The Ingham County Animal Shelter is offering a unique way for the community to honor veterans this week. Hannah Page, the communications director, announced that all veterans can adopt animals free of charge throughout the week.
"Whether you're retired, in the reserve, active, some kind, and you can get a free adoption," Page said.
The shelter hopes the program will benefit both veterans and animals in need of homes.
"Let's get them into veterans' homes and thank them for what they do by giving them this loyal cuddly companion," Page said.
For Buck, simple gestures of appreciation mean the most, and his commitment to honoring veterans continues through his family. His son is now serving in the Marine Corps.
"He decided he wanted to go into the Marine Corps. So, he's a sergeant right now in Camp Pendleton, California," Buck said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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