Entry bubble Honor America’s Veterans on Sunday

By: Sommer | November 09, 2007 | Category: Home and Family

Did you know that the U.S. has nearly 24 million war veterans? This Sunday is Veterans Day and it’s time, once again, to honor the men and women who protect our country’s freedom. The first Veterans Day was November 11, 1919 and initially, we called it Armistice Day to honor those who died serving our country in World War I. However, in June 1954, the 83rd Congress passed a law to change the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day in order to honor American veterans of all wars.lectern quote

My family has quite a few veterans – at least 13 that I can think of – and that’s just going back 2 generations. They’ve served in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq and Afghanistan. One side of my family has created a beautiful granite memorial on a family plot of land on the Missouri River commemorating the service of all the veterans in our family. They also donated a memorial lectern to the Springfield, SD cemetery in honor of local war veterans and my Great Uncle Peter who was killed at Heartbreak Ridge in the Korean War. The remembrance on the lectern is so true: “For those who fought for it, freedom has a special flavor the protected will never know.” One of my favorite memories with my Grandpa Don was when he and my Grandma came to visit Washington, DC one year for an American Legion convention. We visited the Korean War Memorial together and although he didn’t share a lot about his experience or memories, seeing that memorial moved him to tears. What a sacrifice he must have made if more than 50 years later it can still bring up such strong emotions. After that day I’ve felt so much closer to him.

Remember that the federal government will officially honor veterans on Monday, November 12 and federal offices will be closed that day.  Please honor the veterans in your life on Sunday by sending them an e-card or doing something nice to show you remember the sacrifices they made. I can assure you; even a gesture that seems small to you may mean more to that veteran than you’ll ever know.

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