On this Veterans Day 2011 we can build a better community in South Sound by recognizing and thanking the veterans living among us. They have earned our honor and respect.
In his Veterans Day proclamation last year, President Barack Obama put it succinctly when he said, “In an unbroken line of valor stretching across more than two centuries, our veterans have charged into harm’s way, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice, to protect the freedoms that have blessed America. ... Long after leaving the uniform behind, many veterans continue to serve our country as public servants and mentors, parents and community leaders. They have added proud chapters to the story of America, not only on the battlefield, but also in communities from coast to coast. They have built and shaped our nation, and it is our solemn promise to support our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen as they return to their homes and families.”
The president said, “America’s sons and daughters have not watched over her shores or her citizens for public recognition, fanfare, or parades. They have preserved our way of life with unwavering patriotism and quiet courage, and ours is a debt of honor to care for them and their families. These obligations do not end after their time of service, and we must fulfill our sacred trust to care for our veterans after they retire their uniforms.”
Veterans Day has its origins in the aftermath of World War I – which was called “the war to end all wars.” Unfortunately, it was not.
The Treaty of Versailles was signed in France on June 28, 1919. But in reality, World War I had ended months earlier when an armistice between Allied troops and Germany went into effect “on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.” For that reason, Nov. 11, is officially observed as Veterans Day.
President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. In 1938 Congress officially made Armistice Day a federal holiday, and in June 1954, after World War II, Congress changed the commemoration from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor veterans of all wars.
Veterans Day 2011 finds this nation still engaged in the deadly conflict in Afghanistan. President Obama has declared that all U.S. combat troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by year’s end, marking the end to that horrific war.
We also find a nation struggling to provide returning veterans with the health care and mental health treatment they deserve. Granted, strides are being made, and Congress continues to pressure the Veterans Administration to do more to meet the medical and mental health needs of service members. But the federal government’s response has been too slow, in our opinion.
It’s time for President Obama and his administration to live up to the president’s words in his proclamation a year ago when he said, “As a grateful nation, we are humbled by the sacrifices rendered by our service members and their families out of the deepest sense of service and love of country. On Veterans Day, let us remember our solemn obligations to our veterans, and recommit to upholding the enduring principles that our country lives for, and that our fellow citizens have fought and died for.”
That “solemn obligation” includes caring for the wounded – of mind, body and spirit. Today, let us, as a nation, recommit ourselves and our financial resources to veterans so that we can truly honor their patriotism, their love of country, and their willingness to serve and sacrifice for the United States of America.
