Dear Editor:
Veterans Day will soon be here, but what does it mean? To many it’s a day off from work, to some it’s a day for shopping for the Veterans Day Sales. Many complain that it should be on a Monday so they can have a three day weekend. Others are annoyed that there isn’t any mail and government offices are closed. Have we forgotten what the day really means? Have we forgotten our Veterans?
At 11 a.m., November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month), World War I ended which became known as Armistice Day. Armistice Day officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926 and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. Veterans. In 1968, new legislation changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the forth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date. Veterans Day was to acknowledge that it was the Veterans sacrifice that keeps America free and strong.
A Veteran is someone who served in the Armed Forces who sacrificed their youth, their blood, their time away from family, their career, their education and their social life to serve their country. They are the sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers who answered Americas call. They sacrificed, perhaps the best years of their lives. Some are blind, lame and became old with age, some were wounded in a war long ago and still carry the scars of battle. They are proud of their service, proud of the job they did under some of the most trying circumstances and above all proud to be call American. They have contributed to our society in ways that cannot be measured. They return home to earn a living, start families and be part of the great American dream. Fading into the background, they are the backbone of America. Families are proud of there history of service to America. So on this Veterans Day, take a moment to embrace and say thanks to those gentle heroes.
Our Veterans!
Tom Kennedy Sr.
Commander American Legion Post 107-Hoboken