Veteran’s Day

 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.

 The National Veteran’s Art Museum in Chicago has an unusual work of art which you may not have even known existed!

 When visitors first enter the museum, they will hear a sound like wind chimes coming from above them and their attention will be drawn upward 24 feet to the ceiling of the two-story high atrium.

 The dog tags of the more than 58,000 service men and women who died in the Vietnam War, were hung from the ceiling of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago on Veterans Day, November 11, 2010. The 10 x 40 foot sculpture, entitled Above & Beyond, was designed by Ned Broderick and Richard Stein.

 The thousands of metal dog tags are suspended 24 feet in the air, 1 inch apart, from fine lines that allow them to move and chime with shifting air currents.  Museum employees using a kiosk and laser pointer help visitors locate the exact dog tag with the imprinted name of a lost friend or relative.

“If you can  read this, thank a Teacher … If you are  reading it in English, thank a VET.”