THIS YEAR, LET’S ALL MAKE VETERANS DAY SPECIALOur observance of Veterans Day goes back to 1919, when President Woodrow Wilson declared that November 11, the first anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting of World War I, to be a day of reflection and remembrance. At that time, “the war to end all wars” was the ultimate military event in human history.
The idea took hold, and “Armistice Day” became a national holiday. It was a day of speeches and parades. Everywhere in America, business stopped briefly at 11 am to remember the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” that marked the Armistice of World War I.
A generation later, an even greater war had been fought. In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed an act of Congress to change the name of the holiday to Veterans Day to commemorate the service of all American veterans of all wars.
Today, there are around 24 million veterans in America, from the one surviving overseas veteran of World War I to over 700,000 new veterans of the Global War on Terror.
On this Veterans Day, we will take special note of the Minnesota men and women who have returned from their difficult and dangerous service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to those who are actively serving us in all branches of the service. The sacrifices they and their families made are incalculable. It’s up to us to do everything we can to help them get back on their feet when they return home.
I co-chair the Civic Legislative Team of the Warrior to Citizen Campaign, along with Senator David Senjem, the Senate Republican leader. The Campaign is a coalition of business, religious, education, policymakers and the Minnesota National Guard. Our mission is addressing the challenges of reintegration for returning veterans. We want to make sure they are able to access any educational, housing, job training, health care or social services they need – without undo delay.
The Campaign also recognizes the unique contributions veterans make to their communities. When the call came, our servicemen and women interrupted careers and family life to fight for us. For the rest of us, it’s our moral duty that they are fully provided for upon their return, and that the families of the fallen are cared for through our assistance, prayers and gratitude.
Abraham Lincoln said it best:
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
So on Veteran’s Day:
• Pause for a moment of silence at 11:00 am, no matter where you are – at home, at school, at Veterans Day services, or even a Veterans Day sale – (business owners, teachers, and employers - how about making a brief announcement at 11 am to remind folks?)
• Attend this year’s Veterans Day Parade in St. Cloud. The parade starts at 3 pm at the St. Cloud VA Medical Center and ends at Apollo High School.
• Personally thank those who have served us in the military.
• Reflect on the things you can do in your own way to make life better for veterans and their families – and then act on them.
