Once again, American families will spend the Veteran's Day holiday weekend enjoying the freedom to walk on the beach, hike in the mountains, picnic, take a drive in the country, watch a football game, relax in their home, secure in the knowledge they are relatively safe from the ravages of war in their homeland.
Yes, there will even be parades, with people marching, flags waving, and lots of military men and women waving at the crowd as they pass by. Some of them will be young, and perhaps not yet scarred from battle, and some will be old, having seen the worst that can be endured by a person and survived. Some will be wearing clothing with patches that signify battles that are from long ago, uniforms that you don’t recognize. Some will wear hats of organizations that signify they are veterans, a title they wear proudly, And some will wear clothing that seems strangely out of place, clothing with many patches sewn to the garments that signify their ties to brothers and sisters that may not have come home, or have died in some strange foreign land in the quest to keep your homeland free.
So, what is Veteran’s Day? As I look around, it appears so many Americans have forgotten what this day is really all about. It’s not just about the men and women who served in the Armed Forces of this great country. It’s about their sacrifices, heroism, dedication and unselfish dedication to the principles upon which this country was founded. It’s their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice, if need be, for the ideals they hold so high, so that each and every American can enjoy a life of freedom from tyranny and hostility and live in peace. It’s about sacrificing life to save others you don’t even know, so they might live in freedom and democracy.
Some years ago I wrote about what I believe Veterans’ Day symbolizes to me, and some of the difficulties faced by our warriors, and maybe it’s well to repeat it again. This won’t ever give you a picture of what it’s really like to be there, but maybe it will help you think about how much these veterans, those now in service, and those who have served, sacrificed for each of us so we can enjoy not only this Veterans’ Day, but each day of the year:
It's about giving their all that others may have freedom. It's about fighting in the mountains, jungles and deserts in a foreign land, in the hope the same battles will never have to be fought in their homeland.
It's about fighting oppression to allow others the power to express their opinions and views, without fear of reprisal and sanction.
It's about vowing to "leave no one behind" and carrying a comrade in arms from the battlefield on your shoulders in the hopes he will live, but knowing that at the very least, he will be buried in his beloved country.
It's about enduring the horror of war in the hopes your children will never have to do the same.
It's about lying in the mud, or sand or in a hole, and praying that the shelling will end. And looking at your buddies alongside you, and whispering words of hope and encouragement.
It's about being dead tired and still finding the strength to go on, sometimes when the odds are so heavily against you that it almost appears hopeless.
It's about the doctors and nurses who endure hell with you and work tirelessly tending the wounded. It's about visiting a buddy in the hospital and reassuring him that he'll be OK.
It's about writing a letter home for someone who will never return home.
It's about writing that letter for yourself, just in case you are one of the unlucky ones, and putting it in your pack where it would be found.
It's about cursing and swearing and praying and hoping. It's about crying and smiling, sometimes at the same time.
It's about working and fighting side by side.
It's about a common goal, where personal wants and needs are forgotten.
It's about the sharing of a smoke or a candy bar, or cookies sent from home.
It's about the looks on the face of a serviceman when he sees death and carnage for the first time.
And it's about the face and smile of a child, who has been rescued from the ravages of war, even if only for a while.
It's about the fields of white crosses and rows of simple bronze markers in cemeteries throughout the country, marking the graves of brave men and women.
It's about the graves on foreign shores where many died in the name of freedom, but who never were able to come home.
It's for the veteran shedding a tear while remembering friends and comrades from long ago.
It's for the prisoners of war who endured the misery and torture of captivity in enemy hands.
It's for the Missing in Action whom we will never forget and will never stop waiting for their return.
It's for those who venture out in storms because the book says they have to, but the book doesn't say they have to return.
And it's for the families of those brave men and women, who fight a personal battle every day their loved ones are gone.
And, It’s for the family standing at the grave of the recently fallen veteran, or perhaps the veteran from another war, remembering the unsung hero he or she was, and always will be.
It’s for the tear running down the cheek of the elderly man or woman, remembering the son or daughter, father or mother, brother or other family member who gave their all so that they might live in freedom.
It’s for those of us visiting the Wall, remembering our lost friends, touching the Wall and feeling the kinship, and almost feeling them touching us back. Yes, the bond was, and is, that close.
It’s for the disabled veterans, who endure pain and suffering for their sacrifice, whether that sacrifice was yesterday or over 50 years ago, who go forward one day at a time, with a vision that tomorrow will be better than today, and never regret their service to their country.
It’s the camaraderie felt by those in our Armed Forces; The Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard, all coming together to defend and protect the country we love, knowing we will sacrifice to whatever degree necessary, to assure our country is safe from not only enemy aggression, but terrorism as well.
So when you enjoy the 2008 Veterans’ Day weekend, take time to reflect why we celebrate Veterans’ Day. It’s not just another day in time, or just another holiday. It truly is a day of freedom, a day to honor those men and women without whom your ability to enjoy doing what you love to do most, with those you love, would likely not be possible. Give them thanks for all they do and have done.
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