As the daughter of a 25-year veteran of the armed forces I am incredibly thankful for the sacrifices our women and men have made in Iraq and continue to make in Afghanistan.

We can't equate spending on veterans with spending on defense. Our strength is not just in the size of our defense budget but in the size of our hearts in the size of our gratitude for their sacrifice. And that's not just measured in words or gestures.

I'm pretty upfront about my love and admiration for the military. One of the perks of making movies is that you get to sort of follow your own passions and I believe quite passionately that we don't pay enough attention and respect to our veterans. Not just our wounded veterans but all veterans.

I deliberately did not read anything about the Vietnam War because I felt the politics of the war eclipsed what happened to the veterans. The politics were irrelevant to what this memorial was.

We are telling veterans they must sacrifice to pay for the pet projects and contracts to campaign donors of powerful members of Congress.

But this Veterans Day I believe we should do more than sing the praises of the bravery and patriotism that our veterans have embodied in the past. We should take this opportunity to re-evaluate how we are treating our veterans in the present.

Postpartum depression is a very real and very serious problem for many mothers. It can happen to a first time mom or a veteran mother. It can occur a few days... or a few months after childbirth.

The sacrifices made by veterans and their willingness to fight in defense of our nation merit our deep respect and praise - and to the best in benefits and medical care.

Well look at what people are doing for returned veterans now. The wounded warriors. They're working hard to make the wounded veterans feel that they are loved and welcomed home unlike Vietnam. It was not a very kind gentle world then. I think we are kinder and gentler.

On the battlefield the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation let it be our pledge that when they return home we leave no veteran behind.