On Tuesday, Nov. 11, we observe Veterans Day. It is a “fixed” holiday, like Independence Day on July 4. These days do not move to the nearest Monday so we can have a long weekend; they are too important to our national ethos.
I like that because it is a tangible sign of respect for our veterans. Veterans Day is even more specific: The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. That was the precise time when the Germans and Allies sign the armistice papers that ended World War I in 1918. Today at that time, millions of us nationwide will go the designated spot for a short observance.
We have three major patriotic holidays each year. In the spring we remember the men and women who died while fighting for this country and its rich heritage of freedom, democracy and belief that all of us stand equal under the law. Without their sacrifice our flag would not be flying over our country. On July 4 we celebrate Independence Day and the founding of this nation. Finally, Veterans Day.
The date and time were gress to mark the anniversary of the World War II ending. Some 116,000 U.S. soldiers died in combat between April 1917 and November 1918. To add to the sorrow, many young men came home and soon died from the Spanish flu.
Two of my uncles came home from “Over There” in France, took off their uniforms, settled down and went to work. One continued working on the family farm, and until he died. The other parlayed his musical ability into organizing a jazz band, and later became a professor at DePaul University in Chicago.
Like most of our veterans who served while under fire in combat, neither talked about their experiences. They saved that for later when they gathered with fellow comrades at the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War halls. Only a veteran could truly understand what another veteran was saying and, sometimes more importantly, not saying.
In 1939, 20 years after the armistice, their Legion peers bought an expensive bottle of brandy they kept on a locked shelf. Whenever a member died, they would open a much cheaper bottle of brandy for a toast.
Each member had his own shot glass on a shelf in the cabinet. Turned up meant he was still among the living; turned down meant they had “gone west.”
The special bottle was the “Tontine,” a way of remembering their comrades. The last surviving member was expected to open it, toast all those gone, then pour out the remaining liquor on the cenotaph in the city park the following Nov. 11.
A great attribute of our country is that we honor our veterans. That cannot be said of all nations, and there is a long and horrible history of abuse.
After the British Navy sank the Spanish Armada in 1588, instead of being thanked by Queen Elizabeth, the sailors were herded onto the Fleet Prison ships and kept there for years.
After World War II, repatriated Russians captured by the Germans or held in camps by the Allies were either executed or sent to the gulags.
Other countries may be less harsh to their veterans, but tare wary of them. After all, someone who has been in uniform, whether during peace times or war, knows how to use weapons. They could prove to be a danger to their national leaders. Tyrants and dictators closely monitored their veterans and made life hard for many of them.
Here, we honor our veterans, even if we tend to get stingy about providing the benefits promised to them. After the Civil War, veterans who wanted to move west could receive land, as well as the pension benefits promised by President Lincoln in 1862. A bonus was promised to the returning Doughboys in 1918, but payments were delayed.
All this changed in 1944. While World War II was still being fought, President Roosevelt set in motion a benefits plan for returning service personnel. Key components were healthcare, housing and education.
Those benefits continue to this day for people who have served in peacetime and war. In many ways, it has proven to be one of the best things our country could ever do.
Veterans used GI benefits to go to school and in time became engineers, doctors, teachers and businesspeople. They went to trade schools and used their training to build this country. They bought homes and pumped money into the economy. They could do this and more because the government did the right thing.
To its credit, the U.S. is trying to do the right thing, but to truly honor our veterans it takes more than the best efforts of our government. That is where you and I come in.
It is a great experience to be recognized. Think of it in terms of the theme song from the TV series “Cheers.” We all want a place where everyone knows our name. We all want to be the character, where, whenever he walks in the door the crowd shouts our name in joy to see us.
That is what our veterans want as well, especially the older ones. Many have attended services for old comrades, and with each passing year they realize there are fewer of them.
If you attend a Veterans Day ceremony you’ll be sure to see some of the men and women who proudly wore our nation’s uniforms. This is a great opportunity to move beyond the usual “Thank you for your service” and ask questions about where they served, what they did, about food, USO entertainment or anything else. The important thing is to make the connection personal.
We are more indebted to our veterans than many realize. Every one of them took an oath when they were inducted to defend the Constitution and obey all lawfully given orders. That was a promise they made not just for their time in service, but for life. They have continues to fulfill that promise.
Today our country is divided over public policies that have seen agencies sent to cities to arrest those who do not have proper documents to be here. Some of these agencies seem to try proving how tough they are and want to intimidate civilians by hiding behind masks. National Guard troops have been sent to these cities to add a bit of extra intimidation.
Intimidation? I see it differently. We can have a lot more faith and trust in our National Guard than in the rest of them. That is because they still live by that oath.
Thanking our veterans means even more now than at any time since the troops came back from Vietnam. Many did not get so much as a “thank you” and many were booed and even spat upon.
We can do the right thing now because we can trust them to do the right thing.
I know that not everyone can attend a Veterans Day event, but many of us can at least put up the Stars and Stripes in the flag holder at the front of our house, or a flag in the window. If that is all we can do, then we have done all we can. But if you can be present, that is your gift to them.
