The Kiwanis Club of Griffin welcomed five veterans from five different wars to its meeting on Wednesday to hear about their experiences defending the freedom of the United States. It was the first event of its kind, arranged ahead of the upcoming Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

Sitting on a stage and answering questions that day were World War II veteran Turner Davis, Korean War veteran Dick Hyatt, Vietnam War veteran Daniel Ham, Gulf War veteran Jesse Pugh and Rickey Todd, who has served during the Gulf War as well as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Kiwanis Club member Brennan MacDowell facilitated the questions.

Those questions ranged from their reason for joining the armed forces to their most and least favorite foods while overseas. And some of the responses provided a moving perspective of the challenges that come with serving in the military.

(For complete story, see Friday's edition of The Griffin Daily News.)