VETERANS DAY

[Butterbean]

(from an email I received)

It's the soldier, not the preacher, who gives us freedom of religion.
It's the soldier, not the reporter, who gives us freedom of the press.
It's the soldier, not the campus organizer who gives us freedom to assemble.
It's the soldier, not the lawyer, who gives us the right to a fair trial.
It's the soldier, not the politician, who gives us the right to vote.
It's the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, who makes all of this possible, day after day after day!


Sunday, November 11, is Veterans Day.  Most think it is Monday November 12 because Monday is the "observed" holiday.

Many people do not know the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

Memorial Day honors service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime.

Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislature that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress -- at the urging of the veterans service organizations -- amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

In 1968, the Uniforms Holiday Bill ensured three-day weekends for federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Under this bill, Veterans Day was moved to the last Monday of October. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holiday on its original date. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on Oct. 25, 1971.

Finally on September 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a law which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of Nov. 11, beginning in 1978. Since then, the Veterans Day holiday has been observed on Nov. 11.

United States Senate Resolution 143, which was passed on August 4, 2001, designated the week of Nov.11 through Nov. 17, 2001, as "National Veterans Awareness Week." The resolution calls for educational efforts directed at elementary and secondary school students concerning the contributions and sacrifices of veterans.  The above from http://www.military.com/veteransday/History.htm

May God bless our veterans! 

[Colossus_500]

Great post, Ro!   

[Dos Equis]

Yep.  Very nice Stella. 

[Colossus_500]

Honoring Our Veterans
By Chuck Colson
Monday, November 12, 2007

In the mountains of Afghanistan, 29-year-old Navy Lt. Michael Murphy was leading a four-man team on a mission to capture a Taliban leader. Suddenly, some 40 insurgents opened fire from three sides. Lt. Murphy exposed himself to enemy fire to get a clear signal in order to radio for help. Despite being shot repeatedly, Murphy calmly gave his unit’s location and requested immediate support for his team.

Lt. Murphy died of wounds that day two years ago. I was deeply moved by his story, which is recounted in Marcus Luttrell’s riveting bestseller, but R-rated book, Lone Survivor. For his heroic actions, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor last month. As President Bush noted during the ceremony, attended by Murphy’s parents, “With this medal we acknowledge a debt that will not diminish with time and can never be repaid.”

The Medal of Honor—the highest of all military honors—is not often awarded. And yet, several of our biggest news outlets did not see fit to cover this event. This is appalling. When editors omit stories of heroism, they not only demean the sacrifice of our servicemen, they also deny America’s young needed examples of love of country.

Walter Berns, author of the book Making Patriots, argues that patriots are made, not born—that we have to be taught to love our country. He also believes that this love, though necessary to our nation’s very survival, does not come easily. That’s because it is human nature to put ourselves first.

And yet, cemeteries both at home and abroad are full of Americans who did give their lives for their country—and are doing so today in Afghanistan and Iraq. Their sacrifice reminds us that, in order for America and its ideals to flourish, we have to teach our kids that there are things more important than simply fulfilling their own desires.

It is not enough to show people that it is in their selfish interests that the country prospers. We have to remind them of what our nation’s creed says: that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” Those words rang in my ears when I signed up to serve in the marines during wartime.

Our nation’s promise is a declaration of the rights and freedoms of everyone. So we each have a higher standard to meet than simply looking out for number one. Sadly, we have often fallen short of that standard, arbitrarily denying rights to one group or another. But whenever we did, we knew it was wrong; we worked to correct it; and most of the time, we have succeeded. If we truly believe in the ideal of freedom for all people, we will keep reminding our countrymen of what we stand for and why patriotism to our flag is noble—something for which any good citizen is willing to sacrifice.

How do we teach young people to love their country? Tell them about heroes like Michael Murphy and teach them to love goodness and freedom—and remind them that these are the ideals America was founded to preserve and promote. Talk to them about duty.

It is the only way we can guarantee that those ideals will survive, in America and around the world. What better time than Veterans Day to remind our youth of these precious truths—and of those who offer the ultimate sacrifice to preserve them.


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