Five years ago, I wrote a post in recognition of Veteran’s Day, and the service personnel we as a nation honor on that day. In 2009, as will be the case next year, Veterans Day fell on Wednesday, and as such, the stars aligned perfectly for that week’s blog post. As our nation continues to grapple with conflict overseas, I decided to re-post the Veteran’s Day 2009 Edition of “Break It Down!”
It's worth noting that while our fighting forces officially exited Iraq in December 2011, we still have military personnel there. Our forces are expected to leave Afghanistan (the other hotspot referenced in the initial post) by 2016. Also, for the record, we have a variety of personnel in Iran, Syria, Libya, Mali, Somalia, Pakistan, Philipines, and Yemen...lest you think the world is a peaceful place.
Enjoy, and if you didn’t take the opportunity to thank a veteran yesterday, reach out and do so today. Moreover, to all of you who are veterans, “Thank you for your service.”
Many of you know, or at
least faintly recall that I frequently alter the blog format to integrate
holiday traditions into the discussion. Often holidays are expanded by days
away from work, long weekends, travel, and a host of leisure activities. In
those cases, I prefer to scale back in recognition that aside from road map
directions, GPS instructions, and the like, very little reading will be taking
place.
As most Americans
know, today is Veterans Day. At a time when the United States is
engaged in twin wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and working
fervently to ease tensions in a trio of other hot spots, including Pakistan,
Iran, and North Korea, American service men and women are
regularly front and center. The unfathomable horror visited upon soldiers at Fort
Hood, Texas last week makes the value and vulnerability of one of our
greatest resources resonate even more palpably. But what do we really know
about this day that has been set aside to honor real American heroes and
sheroes?
Well, first, Veterans
Day is not Memorial Day, and vice-versa. According to the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Day is intended largely to
honor Living veterans for
their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security
are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not
only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty. Memorial Day
honors those veterans who died in the service of their country, particularly
those killed in combat, or as a result of wounds sustained in battle.
We also know that Veterans
Day is a different kind of federal holiday. With the exception of Sundays,
it falls on its actual date. In 1968, Congress approved the Uniform
Monday Holiday Act. This law, which took effect in 1971, amended the
observance of certain federal holidays so that Washington’s Birthday, Memorial
Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day would be observed on Mondays
instead of fixed dates.
Congress passed the Act to increase the number of
three-day holiday weekend for federal employees. After a loud and persistent
outcry from veterans and veterans groups, who argued the historical
significance of November 11th was compromised by the change, Veterans Day
observance was returned to November 11th in 1978.
So how did this affinity
for November 11th come about? As with many historical facts, it evolved.
Veterans Day began as Armistice Day. The significance of Armistice
Day is that it was the day of the signing of the Armistice that
terminated World War I (WW I). In effect, WW I ended at the 11th
hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. That was when the Germans
signed the document, ending hostilities that had begun in 1914. President
Woodrow Wilson subsequently proclaimed the first Armistice Day, November
11, 1919.
WW I was deemed The Great War, and was thought by
many, at the time, to be "The War That Ended All Wars.” It was, as
the numeric designation suggests, the first World War. Of course, more
wars would ensue. There was World War II (WW II), later the Korean
Conflict, and then Vietnam.
In 1953, a store
owner in Emporia, Kansas, Al King launched an idea to honor
all veterans, not just those who served in WW I. The idea took root,
sailed through Congress, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it
into law May 26, 1954. Congress amended the Act November
8, 1954, changing Armistice to Veterans, and thus it has been
ever since.
So today, especially
around "The 11th Hour of This 11th Day of the 11th Month," to
augment a popular bumper sticker, “If you can read this, thank a teacher…and
a veteran!
The 11th Hour of This 11th Day of the 11th Month! I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog
anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com.
A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed
information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links
below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mW7-IJnWbc
http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/
http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=veterans+day&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=dD36Sq2oIM_gnAeEsKyJDQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=7&ved=0CC8QsAQwBg
http://www.history.com/content/veteransday
http://www.history.army.mil/faq/vetsday/vetshist.htm
http://www.patriotism.org/veterans_day/
http://www.military.com/veterans-day/
http://www.nraila.org/legislation/read.aspx?id=5202
http://www.military.com/veteransday/History.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_armed_forces
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniformed_services_of_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Public_Health_Service_Commissioned_Corps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Oceanic_and_Atmospheric_Administration_Commissioned_Corps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Monday_Holiday_Act
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice
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