One of the most important reasons to celebrate and reflect this time of year is "Veterans Day”, this coming Wednesday, November 11^th, a time to celebrate the freedoms we all enjoy and many times, take for granted!  This one single day of this year directly relates to the success of many other events in our lives, including the growth and prosperity of ourselves, our families, our jobs, our freedoms to speak, worship, to vote for our choice, our education, and the opportunity to seek and find the best life possible! These freedoms were earned at such a high cost because of our Veterans!  We owe so much to our Veterans, the men and women who gave up so much of themselves to bravely serve with great courage and preserve our ways of life!

 

We still stand alone as the "Greatest Country in the World” because of what our Veterans gave over the years! We stand very proudly in defense of our personal freedoms, and those of many others around the globe, that directly and indirectly, reflect on our futures as well.!

 

The fact is that every single man and woman Veteran who has served, over the decades, and those that still serve today deserves our heartfelt "Thank You’s”, but also our recognition, respect and support every day of every year!  Our military has done everything ever asked of them in their mission to serve our country and everyone in it!

 

This year we acknowledge and celebrate the men and women of our armed forces of today. on the date designated "Veterans Day”, officially in 1954, by act of Congress and signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower, to acknowledge Veterans of all conflicts.

 

We should all stand together on this Veterans Day, as our communities are interfaced with a rich military history.  The military Veterans we honor on November 11^thcame from all walks of life, but shared several very important fundamental values.  They possessed courage, pride in self, determination, selflessness, integrity, and devotion to duty…all needed to serve causes much larger than themselves!  Many of them did not ask to leave their homes, jobs, and families to go fight in some distant land’s battlefield. Most did not volunteer to go to war because they loved to fight.  They were called to be a part of something bigger than that. They were ordinary men and women who responded in extraordinary ways! They rose to the cause at hand because they wanted to protect a nation which had given them so much in their way of life as well as those in other countries that were oppressed.

 

There are many of our military Veterans that have fought and died on battlefields to defend our and others freedoms and future threats to this country. There are an estimated 17.5 million living Veterans in this country including 2.1 million women Veterans. Through all periods of service and conflicts, whether in peace time or those that have seen the inhumanity of combat and support, these military men and women have and still would, defend America with little recognition of fanfare!

 

There are 3 important things that most Veterans surveyed would like you to know about their feelings regarding Veterans Day. They may not represent everyone’s opinion, but the consensus of many Veterans is included:

 

"Veterans Day” is a Day of Celebration!

 

There are many people that treat Veterans Day in the same way they treat Memorial Day, as a day of solemnity in remembrance of those who gave their lives for this nation instead of for those that live today.  There are many that feel and know that this special day of November 11^th is not similar to any other holiday., is not a memorial to go to the cemetery day or a day to party or celebrate our nation’s freedom! It’s a day to commemorate why Veterans did what they did and still do. 

 

It’s is felt that many military Veterans reflect while their civilian counterparts celebrate instead. This year, when you are talking to a Veteran, make it a point of asking them about their "favorite part of their service in the military, or what made them decide to serve or how do they feel about the huge commitment to serve in the military”.  Questions such as these will probably open a conversation with a Veteran and let them know that you are interested, will listen to them and most importantly….”grateful for their service”!

 

"Veterans Day” is "A Day of Gratitude”

 

While we all may have good intentions when we offer a quick "Thank You for your Service” to a Veteran in passing, many Veterans interviewed reported being tired of the obligatory "Thank You for Your service”.  And on the other hand, many Veterans do not feel the need to be thanked at all!  Many feel humble and feel that they were merely answering a call for the country they loved!  Many times, recognizing that many Veterans served to fulfill an inner calling and satisfy a sense of personal responsibility, will go further than "Thank you for your service ever could”!  Relating to the Veteran over your mutual pride for and love of our nation and her people, will convey your gratitude for their service in a personal and meaningful way.

 

Veterans Day is a "Day of Careful Conversation”

 

The description of "Veteran” is not a one-size-fits-all title.  Even within Veterans that served in the same unit together, each service member will have a different experience and opinion.  Some of these experiences could be painful, some happy and many may feel both or otherwise differently. Many times, your assumptions of a Veteran’s experience can do more harm than good, so please approach your conversations with Veterans with care.  While conveying our gratitude on Veterans Day is so very important, but please remember that many Veterans will be reliving difficult moments from their time in

service during threatening periods of time.

 

For some, "Veterans Day” is just another federal holiday, a day off from work.  But for many of us, especially our Veterans, it is a day of "Reflection, Gratitude and Conversation.”  This year, let’s make sure to honor our Veteran men and women in the best way possible by reflecting on the significance of their service, conveying our gratitude in respectful, meaningful and personal ways, and carefully pursuing conversations that will allow them to talk about memories they wish to recall without forcing memories they are seeking to avoid.

 

I urge everyone to visit and learn more of our Veterans and Military organizations and what they do in our communities, for so many of our Veterans and citizens.  There are many of these organizations here that are having ‘open houses’ on Veterans Day, lunch served to everyone who attend.

 

Honor all who have served not just this Veterans Day!  May God bless our Veterans each and every day! And….”May God always bless the United States of America, because of our Veterans!”