Veterans’s Day

2024 reminds us again

I noted in late August that the center of virtually every community in Britain is its memorial, listing by name those who never came back from the Great War between 1914 and 1918. I am drawn to these memorials because they show how fundamentally political leaders and mere citizens can misjudge what commitment will be entailed in a war despite great bravado, courage, and persistence.

Brae Mar, Aberdeenshire

The 11th day of the 11th Monday became Armistice Day because at 1100 on that day in 1918, the horror of World War I ended with an armistice. That four-plus year tragedy resulted in revolutions that ended the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman Empires while permanently altering so many other countries by wiping out an entire generation of young men. In short, World War I left us with a radically different world after 11 November 1918, setting the conditions into motion for an even worse set of events in the 1930s and 40s.

Lonach, Aberdeenshire

U.S. losses during our eighteen month participation in the “war to end all wars” were more than 116,000 out of the more than 4 million men and women who participated between 1917 and 1918. By comparison, more than nine million uniformed personnel and a comparable number of civilians died in the global struggle.

We renamed Armistice Day to Veterans’s Day in the 1950s to honor all who served our nation honorably in war. A federal holiday seems inadequate but we do offer it to them. As of last year, 18.3 million Americans are still with us from various wars, though the number from World War II is dwindling rapidly since next year will be the eightieth anniversary of its termination, putting survivors in their late nineties at the youngest.

I only know a microscopic segment of the veterans in this country, of course, but the ones I do served out of desire to make the world a better place. We owe them and their families such a profound debt of gratitude for serving our country. Saying thank you doesn’t seem but a small beginning to appreciate what they were willing to give to us all, despite party, race, creed, or anything else.

Please read a book or a dozen of them on war this year so you have a small taste of what they went through. I am not trivializing but what do we ask these men and women to do on our behalf? Each of us ought understand something of that beyond wearing a yellow ribbon or some minor symbol. If you are not familiar with any books, please contact me as I can recommend several but each and every one of us can do that for our veterans, can’t we?

Last year I had the privilege of attending the Canadian Embassy Remembrance Day ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Thank you for your time today. I welcome your thoughts on military service, remembrance, or any other topic. Please circulate if you find this of value. Thank you to the subscribers.

Be well, be safe, and take time to thank the countless men and women you’ll never know who served in uniform for us all. FIN