How Will You Honor the Veterans Tomorrow?

            The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the need to recognize those men and women who fight to protect and preserve the United States of America. Tomorrow is Veterans Day, a day when our nation remembers the sacrifice our veterans made for this country.

            Veterans Day was once called Armistice Day. Armistice Day was established to commemorate the end of World War I at the 11^th hour on the 11^th day of the 11^th month of 1918. This site shared the following information: 

At the 11^th hour on the 11^th day of the 11^th month of 1918, the Great War ended. At 5 a.m. that morning, Germany, bereft of manpower and supplies and faced with imminent invasion, signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside Compiegne, France. The First World War left nine million soldiers dead and 21 million wounded, with Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, France and Great Britain each losing nearly a million or more lives. In addition, at least five million civilians died from disease, starvation, or exposure.

            World War I is called the Great War because it was meant to end the need for war in the world – “the War to End All Wars.” Unfortunately, millions of people lost their lives, but war continues in the world. Twenty-one years after the end of World War I in 1918, the world went to war again in 1939 to fight World War II. That war ended in 1945, and five years later in 1950, the Korean War began. Many wars have followed.

            In 1954, Congress changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor the veterans of World War II and the Korean War as well as the veterans of World War I. Today, all veterans who served in war or peacetime are honored on Veterans Day. Jack Kilkenny-Smith and James Di Pane shared the following information about Veterans Day. 

Some confuse the holiday with Memorial Day in late May, but that’s to honor those who paid the ultimate price and died for our nation, while Veterans Day is an opportunity to reflect and to respect and remember the contributions of our veterans who returned home from the war or served in peacetime.

A veteran is so much more than merely an individual who at one point was in the armed services. The values of sacrifice, dignity, and humility are often reflected in their daily lives.

Veterans continue to serve as leaders in their communities, their workplaces, and their governments. Veterans as a group truly are exemplary citizens.

            Please join me in commemorating the service of all the veterans who have served in the military services of the United States. Thank you to all veterans. Thank you for your sacrifices – including the time that you spent away from your families. Thank you!