U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters-Shelli Kallie/Flickr Creative Commons
Veteran’s Day should be celebrated everyday. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Coming from a military family and having a son in the Air Force and a grandson in Jr ROTC, I understand the sacrifices military men, women and their families make during long deployments. Those sacrifices are even more significant during times of conflict. Because of the tremendous responsibilities and hardships that are voluntarily endured by our men and women in uniform, I feel it is my daily duty to educate folks and write a few heartfelt words of “Thanks”.
The Education
Veteran’s Day as we know it today didn’t actually exist until June 1st, 1954. 10 years prior to this date, a WWII veteran Raymond Weeks decided that all veterans of the U.S. armed services needed a day to honor them. He organized a celebration in Birmingham, Alabama and called it “Veterans Day”, it was held Nov. 11 1945 in Birmingham and designed to be a day of thanks that more inclusive to all members of the armed services. November 11th is a significant date because Nov. 11th, 1918 is when the Treaty of Versailles was signed which officially ended World War I. Known as Armistice Day, this is when the Allied nations and Germany actually reached a temporary cease to fighting. It was the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
The “Daily Thank You”
War is Hell and it has unfortunately been a part of humanity since our earliest beginnings. Contrary to many civilian held beliefs, the main reason of a of having a standing army is actually a deterrent to attack and a statement of our country’s dedication to self-preservation. Staying out of conflict is the desire of these men and women who serve. None of them wants to engage with an enemy either foreign, or domestic. Make no mistake though, when duty calls, they were willing to do their jobs without question and without reserve. They stood at the ready, daily. They were prepared to be deployed to anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice, daily. They faced the prospect of leaving their family, daily. And their families faced the prospect of never seeing their soldier, daily. That’s why I say “Thank You” to every veteran I can…daily.