100 Years: Veterans Day

Veteran's Day always falls on the 11th of November.  Since that was a Sunday this year, it is also being observed today, the 12th of November.  So we have/had two days to honor our veterans this year.  (I would say thank, but shouldn't we be doing that every day or at least on a regular basis?  They protect and serve in so many ways.  Ways that we can't imagine or even think of.)

So why November 11th?  November 11th marks the anniversary of the The Armistice of 11 November 1918.  The term armistice can be a bit confusing.  An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting.   This doesn't mean that a war is actually over.  It constitutes only a cessation of fighting/hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. So while November 11th marks the armistice of World War I, the official end of the war was not until the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919.

Nutshell version, Armistice Day was a way to recognize the veterans of World War I, or as it was also known, the Great War or the War to End All Wars.    Because with 9 million dead and over 21 million wounded, the world MUST have learned that the terrible price of war could not be repeated.  (Okay, so maybe we as human beings are not as smart as we think we are...or should be.)  As we haven't learned yet, with continued war and conflicted over the past 100 years, Armistice Day has evolved into Veterans Day, where we honor ALL Veterans.

No matter where, when or how our veterans have served, each and every one of them have made a sacrifice.  Maybe it is a visible one, or maybe not.  The service of men and women of all races, creeds and orientations cannot go unnoticed or unthanked.  Can we even imagine for one second what our lives would be like without their service?  So many things, large and small, are the result of someone else's service; someone else's sacrifice.  We may think of war and what the world would be like without our veterans, but there is much more to it than that.    I'd write some about some of the "little" things (that are NOT so little) or the "unimportant" things (which ARE important) that the military handles, but I found it written much more eloquently by someone who knows better:  https://warontherocks.com/2015/08/the-militarys-purpose-is-not-to-kill-people-and-break-things/  (It may have been written 3 years ago, but it's relevance is not diminished.)

If you have not already done so, take a moment to thank and honor a veteran.  Do so not just today, but ANY day that your paths cross.  For the sacrifices that they have made, it’s the LEAST we can do.