Sunday, November 11, 2007

A Day of Honor

Veterans Day

Today is a day when we honor our country’s military veterans. Veterans Day historically marked the end of World War I, on the 11th day of the 11th month on the 11th hour. I remember 1974 being a member of the Cub Scouts marching in the Veterans Day parade. The one thing that stands clear in my mind is the number of people that came to watch. People were lining every block along the parade route. At the time, I did not make the connection between veterans and the Vietnam War. In hindsight, for the number of people that came to honor veterans during the end of an unpopular war, this was a very good showing of support from the public. Compared to the Veterans Day parades over the last several years, the number of people on the sidewalks has dwindled since 1974.

Everyone should remember that Veterans Day is a day to honor all veterans, past and present.

A day to recognize the service of every man and woman that has served in the military in peace and at war.

A day to honor the military personnel currently in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We as a nation should hold this day in the highest esteem because, without our military, we would not be the great nation of freedom and democracy. We would not be able to freely assemble and express our gratitude to our nation’s veterans. So, the next time you meet veterans, thank them for their service.

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