Friday will mark 93 years since fighting ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, signaling the conclusion of World War I hostilities. That conflict was called “the war to end all wars,” but of course, it would not be.
Armistice Day became a national holiday to be marked on Nov. 11 and was created to remember the sacrifice of servicemen in World War I. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation changing the name to Veterans Day to remember the sacrifices of all who have served our country.
Despite the change in name and scope, President Woodrow Wilson's intention remains intact. He said the day should “be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”
Unfortunately, many in our country will enjoy Friday as simply a day off from work and will give scant thought to the sacrifices of our servicemen. And that is truly a disservice to our military personnel, veterans and their families.
The end of World War I brought no lasting peace, and even with foolish policies of isolationism in the intervening years, we soon found ourselves dragged into World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Lebanon in the 1980s, numerous Central American and Caribbean conflicts, the Persian Gulf War, Bosnia and the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions.
We have frequently sounded the call for service, and the country's best have stepped forward, placing their lives in jeopardy for the country they love and in protection of a people who all too often take their sacrifices for granted.
Our servicemen and servicewomen face giving the last, full measure on hostile foreign battlefields, and many have faced multiple deployments — sometimes in numbers not seen before. They risk not only their lives, but leave behind families who are often coping with financial stress, loneliness and living in a constant state of worry over the safety of their loved ones overseas.
Let us promise those who sacrifice for us that they will do the same for them. Let us resolve to mark this year's Veterans Day by not only saying thank you, but by also looking for ways to help support our service men and women overseas and find ways to help our military families survive he stress they are forced to bear.