Reflections on Veterans Day in 2024
I’ve always appreciated the opportunity to share reflections on Veterans Day and to remember and honor the men and women who have served in the American military to protect us and preserve the freedom we enjoy. We should remember and honor these men and women on Veterans Day — and every day — for what they’ve done for this country.
People attend Veterans Day ceremonies today that are held throughout the country to honor all veterans, those who gave their lives while serving, living veterans and all those who went before them. That’s the least we can do for their service and sacrifices that give us our freedom and democracy we must work to preserve and maintain.
Do that in your own way, but do it. Attend services, advocate for the support veterans may need in civilian life – whether it be in the workforce, housing or health care. Tell them thanks for their service, although a Vietnam veteran friend, now deceased, used to say, “Don’t thank me for my service; do your own.” I understand his perspective. Some may think that’s a bit harsh or rude. But sometimes the “thanks for your service” can sound a bit hollow. Whatever you do, show heartfelt appreciation for a veteran’s service. That is what Veterans Day is about.
Historically, while World War I officially ended with the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, it wasn’t signed for seven months after the fighting had finally ended with an armistice, or a peace agreement, between the Allied nations and Germany on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, of Nov. 11.
The following year, Armistice Day was observed on that day “to remind nations to seek peaceful relations between one another in hopes that we will never again be divided.” Countries around the world marked the anniversary of the peace. The war was over, peace would prevail and there would be no more war.
Well, so much for that.
But countries around the world have commemorated the end of World War I and honored the millions of soldiers and civilians who died during the 1914-19 conflict. And rightly so.
The royal family in Great Britain hosted the first Armistice Day event at Buckingham Palace, and in the United States President Woodrow Wilson also proclaimed the first Armistice Day in 1919, although Congress did not recognize it until 1926. France first observed it in 1920, and it became a public holiday in 1924.
After a long-time proposal and support from veterans and service organizations, President Dwight Eisenhower officially changed “Armistice Day” to “Veterans Day” on June 1, 1954, to honor all veterans of the U.S. military, not just those who served or died in World War I.
Growing up in a small village in southern Illinois among a few World War I veterans, many World War II veterans, and then Korean War veterans, I was always aware of the significance of Veterans Day. The veterans were the salt of the earth.
An older cousin who worked for my father after the war landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. My barber landed on Iwo Jima on D-Day on the other side of the world. A neighbor was relieving the guard on Ford Island in Hawaii just before 8 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. And teachers, farmers, school bus drivers, and many others around the area served in the military during war and peace.
The village of 75 people or so where we lived had a two-story general store with an upstairs area for get-togethers, plays and other things where the community gathered. When anyone serving in World War II was home on leave or one of them was killed in action, the people in the village and the surrounding area gathered there to honor them. A board on the wall listed those who were serving, and a Gold Star was beside the four who were killed.
Reasons for conflict are different from war to war, but the need for men and women to serve in a well-trained military remains necessary. Since the founding of this country, American forces have fought and served around the world, more recently in the Middle East – the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan – many with multiple deployments. It has never been an easy life for the men and women who put their lives on the line for us. Nor is it easy for their families — even in peacetime.
Veterans Day is a day to officially remember and honor veterans for their service; every day is a day to show them you don’t take it for granted. Just think about where we might be without their service.