Veterans Day is Sunday, November 11. Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, commemorating the day on which WWI — “The Great War” or “The War To End All Wars” — ended, November 11, 1918.
Armistice Day was declared by President Woodrow Wilson on 11/11/19. He stated, “…the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory”.
President Dwight Eisenhower issued on 11/8/54 the first “Veterans Day Proclamation” which stated “…in order to ensure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, veteran organizations and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose- a celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve at home and abroad and sacrifice so much for the common good…”
America has seen many challenges of war since 1918, defeating the Nazis and Japanese in World War II, sending troops to protect democracy in Korea, VietNam and throughout the world to give a voice to the voiceless and persecuted. Please continue to encourage our government to return to these sites to bring back the bodies of those lost in combat to their homes and final resting places.
Our brave men and women, along with their families, stationed both within and outside the American borders serving heroically and helping others, often making the ultimate sacrifice.
On this Veterans Day, please honor these sacrifices by extending your heart and hand and thanking a veteran and their family for their efforts to keep us all safe. Freedom is a full time job and our service members never get a day off, even on Veterans Day.
To all our veterans, please join me to say, “Thank you for your service; you are so appreciated”.
