Next Wednesday, November 11, is Veterans Day. The purpose of this holiday is to honor American veterans of all wars.
It is observed on this day, because that is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I, which was November 11, 1915. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first "Armistice Day" in November of 1919. In 1954, Armistice Day was officially changed to Veterans Day, thanks to a shoe store owner named, Al King. He felt that it should be changed to honor all veterans, not just those from World War I, and Congress and President Eisenhower agreed.
Somewhere along the way, Veterans Day was moved to be observed on the fourth Monday of October. This was in accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This was an act that became law in 1971 that basically moved holidays like George Washington's birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day to Mondays so federal employees could have more three-day weekends (I kid you not). Ultimately, Congress merged George Washington and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays into President's Day--because let's be honest, who has time to acknowledge two historical presidents' birthdays twice in one month? I'm just surprised Congress didn't rearrange Jesus Christ's birthday to be on a more convenient day as well. Anyway, in 1978 the observance of this holiday was moved back to November 11, thanks to Gerald Ford, because when they tried to celebrate it on October 25, 1971, people were confused and not happy about the break with tradition.
And so, next Wednesday, we will honor the men and women of this country who have served and sacrificed so much for our freedom, as well as for the freedom of others. I cannot even begin to understand what that sacrifice must feel like. To give up your own freedom of choice, because when you join the military, you're pretty much done making choices. You do what you're told, when you're told and you do it in whatever country they decide they want you to do it in. You do it with no questions asked and you do it for the greater good. You say goodbye to loved ones for great lengths of time and pray that you will see them again. You endure difficult living conditions, extreme physical conditioning and pain, and you lay your life on the line. You get sent into war to defend people who don't even want you there, and yet you continue to do your job with pride and honor. That is an awesome sense of responsibility and conviction.
I cannot even fathom saying goodbye to my son, husband, father, mother, brother, sister, or friend as they head off to war, knowing that it's possible they might not come back. How do you prepare for something like that? That is an awesome sense of commitment and strength.
I'm sure that there are many reasons why people join the military. Some join for the education, the travel, the benefits, the excitement, the discipline, and the honor. Although the reasons may vary, you can be sure that there is one common thread, and that is to serve their country. In peacetime and wartime.
My niece, Jyl, has a sister-in-law who was in the military and did several tours in the war-torn areas. I remember Jyl sharing with us Kim's experiences and photos. The boot camp, the deployment, the frenzy, and the camaraderie.
Recently, I reconnected with some high school classmates on Facebook and learned that some of them have strong ties to the military. One of them did five tours of combat and is currently in the military army special forces. He was seriously injured in 2007 and has spent the last two years recovering. When I learned of his story since high school, I was amazed. I thought how can that be? "Your sweet Keith from ski club...you can't be going to war!" Because he was 18 when I last saw him, that's how I still envisioned him.
Another classmate, Greg, was also in the military and he is now preparing himself for when his youngest son leaves for Iraq in January. He will be working in the military police along side the Iraqi police.
Finally, my friend, Laura, has a son who is going to be deployed as a medic. I'm sure she is terrified and dreading the day when she must say goodbye. She belongs to a group called Michigan Military Moms and they meet twice a month as support for each other and they provide support to our troops as well. One way they do this by gathering donations for care packages that are sent to the troops overseas.
I'm ashamed to say that because the war is so far away, I sometimes get complacent. Because it's been going on for so long, I tend to skip over the articles with foreign city names that I can't pronounce. I get confused trying to understand religious beliefs that I can't relate to. I apologize for my aloofness and ignorance.
Veterans Day will have a different meaning for me this year. It will not be a day set aside for heading to Macy's to get an extra 20% off during their Veterans Day sale. How it became a tradition to honor a military veteran by getting a great deal on clothes or furniture, I'll never understand. I guess it happened the same way it did for Memorial Day.
The best deal, of course, would be an end to the wars. When my dad was in the service, he was being deployed to Korea for a tour of duty in the Korean War. While he was on a ship heading overseas, the war came to an end. Can you imagine that?
To all those who have served, or are currently serving, "thank you, thank you, thank you" from the bottom of my free and humble heart.
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