VETERANS DAY: Celebrating Sacrifice
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
Something historic happened then.
It was the end of one of the most horrific wars in history, World War I.
Introduced as Armistice Day to celebrate the end of hostilities (though not the official end of the war, which came when The Treaty of Versailles was signed in June of 1919), Veterans Day has always been celebrated on November 11th to recognize the date and time that peace began after 3 years of terrible losses.
Originally meant to celebrate the cause of world peace and to honor the veterans of WWI, the day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 and expanded to include all United States veterans. Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States at the time, said this in a proclamation about the holiday: "In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all Veterans, all Veterans Organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in this common purpose."
My dad was a veteran. This is him:
He seldom talked about it, not because he saw terrible injustices or bloody combat. He was an airplane mechanic who never left the states. He served mostly at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico.
I can't ask him about it anymore, but I think he didn't feel like he deserved recognition for his sacrifice, that his service wasn't really a sacrifice because his life was never in danger.
Turns out, his life was in danger, but that's another story: The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
But I've received new perspective when it comes to veterans and all they do to contribute to the safety of our nation.
Did you know that for each combat soldier there are 4 to 10 support personnel? From the guy who peels the potatoes for mess to the engineers designing troop transport bridges to medics to logistics to communications and intelligence to judge advocates to chaplains, or airplane mechanics like my dad. Our brave men and women on the front lines of global conflict could not do their jobs without those behind the lines.
As President Eisenhower stated, Veterans Day is about ALL veterans.
This and every Veterans Day, we at Artistic Chaos Ink would like to honor our veterans, wherever they are, whatever their circumstances. They all deserve our gratitude.
Help celebrate your veterans with a personalized coloring poster!
NEW! PERSONALIZED US HISTORY POSTER
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