POCATELLO — For the past 11 years, Farm Bureau has been saluting Idaho veterans because they firmly believe “they are the very best of America.”

This was evident at every step of this year’s celebration, which began with officials greeting all veterans who arrived at Farm Bureau’s Pocatello headquarters on Tierra Drive with a unique, symbolic coin handed out personally by Farm Bureau President Bryan Searle.

He and his two executive vice presidents, Todd Argall and Zak Miller, took the time to shake each veteran’s hand and thank them for their service.

If you get the chance to see one of these coins, look closely at the neck feathers on the regal bald eagle featured there. You’ll soon see that his feathers are really military dog tags, an apt reminder that the freedoms Americans get are largely due to the sacrifices made by military men and women.

Naturally, the first thing to attend at an event honoring veterans is a flag ceremony, which was first held outside where the wind furled the flag perfectly. A prayer, the national anthem sung by Megan Hopfer, and Taps played by bugler Ken Medley completed the outside flag ceremony. Then moving inside, the colors were posted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 735 Honor Guard while the audience stood in silent respect, including many older veterans who proudly rose from their walkers.

Recognizing the veterans within their branch of the military, the Idaho Falls Brass Quintet began with the Army theme song and all Army veterans rose to the appreciative applause of the full crowd. Next came the Marines, then the Navy veterans. The Air Force came next and then the Coast Guard. Hearing the upbeat themes and seeing veterans of all ages stand in their turn was a highlight moment.

The program of spoken tributes began with simple and powerful words from third-grade student Lydia Brown, eighth-grade student Joy Hibbert, and 10th-grade student Dakota Hutchings. These were the winners of the Bureau’s statewide essay contest in which they wrote on the topic “What my Family Member’s Military Service Means to Me.”

Lydia, from Mountain Home Air Force Base, wrote of missing her daddy as he “faithfully serves our nation and protects us so I don’t need to be scared.” Dakota, from Rupert, wrote of his grandfather who had served in Vietnam and the life lessons he has learned from him over the years. He concluded by saying, “These patriots are the foundation of the United States and our lives. My hope is to live a life that is worth their sacrifice.”

Pocatello’s own Joy Hibbert spoke of her father, grandfather and many family members serving to keep our freedoms. She learned from them to value the freedoms we have, such as the right to vote and to choose your beliefs. She quoted former President John F. Kennedy who said, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”

Keynote speaker and former Army Green Beret Sgt. Nate Boyer began his remarks by relating how his father was nearly drafted for the Vietnam War and always felt regretful that he hadn’t been called to serve. Looking over the audience he directly spoke to those veterans that hadn’t been appreciated when they came home and said, “Welcome home guys.”

Twice, Boyer nearly joined the armed forces, once after high school and once after 9/11, but both times he felt like he wasn’t good enough to be responsible for others’ lives and freedoms. It was only after serving the survivors of a genocide in Darfur and surviving his own battle with malaria, that he returned home and found his way to enlisting. He tried the Marines first, but instead ended up with the Army Special Forces branch that took civilians and trained them for special assignments.

Boyer brought knowing smiles and chuckles when he said basic training, or maybe it was his sergeant, transformed his mind and body and instilled in him the confidence to complete the strenuous special forces training. He said he learned to “surround myself with men greater than me,” which weren’t hard to find, and then he’d try to keep up.

Over the next 10 years he served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Bulgaria and Greece, earning the Bronze Star for heroism in combat along the way. He was there to “de oppresso liber”, which means to free the oppressed, something he feels deeply.

By 2015, he was “out of uniform,” discharged from the service and wondering if he could pursue another dream. With the confidence gained from his military service and support from his mentors and friends, he decided to try, rather than regretting later that he hadn’t tried. That is how, at the old age of 29, he became a freshman at the University of Texas and tried out for their football team, yes, the Longhorns.

Seeking a way to be more than a mature voice in the locker room, he taught himself through YouTube videos, how to be a focused and accurate long snapper. As he did so, in his mind he could hear his military training telling him to pick a focus point — aim small, miss small — and always be aware of his team’s safety. It worked and he was on the field for the next three years as he earned a degree.

Afterward, he was selected to play in the Medal of Honor Bowl which brought attention from the Seattle Seahawks team. They recruited him and he switched uniforms again. That stint in the NFL didn’t last longer than training camp and one preseason game.

But it was significant for Boyer. He was able to carry in the flag, combining both of his passions. It was an emotional moment that brought tears during the national anthem. Afterwards, the football greats who surrounded him supported him in that moment and he once again felt a brotherhood.

Three days later he was cut from the team and again was “out of uniform.”

Feeling lost, as many professional athletes and veterans feel when they leave teams, he partnered with Jay Glazer and they formed a non-profit called Merging Vets and Players (MVP). This has become a place where veterans and athletes can tackle their transition struggles together.

Meanwhile, Boyer has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro three times with the Waterboy nonprofit to help build wells in Tanzania and he supports the for-profit White Flag mental health support group, another avenue of support for veterans. He continues to find ways to serve, bringing different kinds of freedom to more and more people.

The latest dream he is pursuing is storytelling through writing, directing and acting in movies, seeking to tell stories that he feels need to be heard. Last year his movie “MVP” was released on Veterans Day.

When asked how the public can show their gratitude in a meaningful way, Boyer said actions, rather than words, are best. Basically, veterans want to feel normal and included, not necessarily on a pedestal. They need support as they rework their world to find what passion to pursue next.

Boyer concluded his remarks with a well-received, “God bless everyone in this room…. And without a doubt, God bless America.”