One soldier’s Veteran’s Day thoughts
Veteran’s Day is tomorrow, November 11th. Veteran’s Day was originally held every November 11th, however, it was changed to fall on the weekday closest to the 11th. It was first incorporated by President Wilson as Armistice Day in 1919 to commemorate the armistice of WWI. In 1938 it became an official American Holiday, but after WWII, citizens felt that the day should honor all Veterans. In 1954 Congress changed the name from Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day and it celebrates the roughly 2.9 million Veterans in the U.S. today.
Many people know a Veteran, whether that be a friend or family member. It’s actually quite surprising considering that today our military constitutes less than five percent of the Unites States population. So few people who are able to accomplish so much. So few people who have sacrificed more than the other 95% can ever realize. Missed birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s, Anniversaries, Births, Deaths, Weddings, Graduations, etc… and not just one year, but many miss these very common events which are a part of our everyday lives that are often taken for granted.
I once overheard an OSHA Safety Officer’s briefing regarding violence in the workplace. In this briefing it was stated that, along with other criteria, that the profile of someone who is more likely to commit murder in the workplace has “military background”. One employee spoke up to voice her malcontent with Veterans, saying that they always act like they’re owed something and have bad attitudes in general. Personally, I think she had some personal beef with Veterans or perhaps a particular Veteran. This isn’t the first time I’ve overheard conversation which led to an overall group bashing session against Veterans. People have complained about Veteran’s healthcare benefits, Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits for college, and retirement pay. What is truly sad is that I overheard today, the day before Veteran’s day.
I would like to look at some of the things that were covered and some of the griefs that were put forward by different people over the years that I’ve run into. I’d like to address them from a different point of view.
In: Military, Society · Tagged with: Veteran's Day
