Veterans Day Honors Those Who Sacrificed For Our Country

 Freedom comes at a high price when men and women have to risk and sacrifice their lives for the nation we have built and way of life we have come to enjoy. The men and women who have served our country in times of war and peace are some of our nation’s best citizens. We justly honor them on Veterans Day.

 Americans show their appreciating to men and women in the Armed Forces in many ways. When we erect a monument, lower a fag to half-mast, set a wreath, attend a function, and gather at a VFW hall on this day to hear speeches, we show respect to the nation’s peacekeepers, and we acknowledge virtues to be passed on for generations. Our silent meditation and prayers for the fallen are heartfelt. The brave deeds of soldiers stir the imagination of our youths.

 Our veterans are the backbone of the nation. We Americans hope to avoid war, and when we send our forces off to war we long for their safe return. Veterans deserve the benefits we authorize Congress to give them. Our veterans have earned their pensions. We support hospitals to care for the wounded and sick. We care for the widows and children of veterans. We generously help veterans receive grants for continuing education and vocational training.  We will never forget those who serve in the Armed Forces. Let us observe Veterans Day with devotion in any and every way we can.

 The wellbeing and happiness of our veterans are on the minds of parents and spouses, family and friends, and every freedom-loving individual. We gladly read about our armed forces in books, see them in action on film, and picture them on postage stamps.

Veterans of the United States, we proudly salute you on this Veterans Day and always!

 World War I formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect.  The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

 When we think of the veterans we want to honor on November 11, those who served in the “big” wars come to mind, including the World  Wars, Korea, and Vietnam.

 Since Vietnam, however, the U.S. has been involved in many wars and campaigns. Only during one period from 1984 to 1989 have no Americans fought on foreign lands.

 Here are the conflicts since Vietnam: 1982-1984: Lebanon 1983: Grenada 1989-1990: Panama 1990-1991: Persian Gulf 1992-1993: Somalia 1994-1995: Haiti 1998-1999: Yugoslavia (Americans still in Bosnia) 2002: Afghanistan. and Iraq.

 Some 100,000 members of the military in Iraq have been wounded. Many have returned to the United States. As we honor our veterans from all wars, let us keep the recently injured in our hearts.