Today is Veterans Day, observed this year, as it is every year, on November 11. It’s in vogue in 2025 to thank veterans for their service to our country. It hasn’t always been that way. In my lifetime, the political and cultural mood has been much uglier than it is today.
I recently read a book (twice, actually) called The Women by Kristin Hannah. It told the story of women veterans, specifically nurses, who served during the Vietnam War. It’s an outstanding, thought provoking story. I highly recommend it.
Officially, the Vietnam War lasted from 1955 to 1975. As a young teen, I remember mom’s friends discussing relatives, primarily sons and nephews, who were sent to war. So many didn’t come back or came back with terrible physical injuries and even more horrific psychological trauma. I didn’t understand much of it at the time because we had no close family who were affected. My family was kind of an in-between major wars generation.
The book I mentioned above, The Women, explained the tension the public had then with the military in ways I didn’t grasp. The American public was sick and tired of a war that seemed to drag on forever. They were tired of losing young people for no discernable reason. Some of the stories coming out of the war zone about the criminal behavior of our military troops toward civilians in the war zone were almost unbelievable and very troubling. They lost confidence in American leadership. All of this resulted in common people unreasonably taking out their anger and frustration on the young men and women who were sent to and (if they were lucky) returned from Vietnam. Veterans symbolized a failed and unpopular war. They were treated terribly for simply doing their duty to their country and this heaped even more trauma on top of that they’d picked up in the war zones. Many of them joined the anti-war protests.
When the Vietnam War Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC in 1982, the public’s perception of those who served in the military during Vietnam finally began to change. The Memorial represented the start of a national healing process. It wasn’t until the Gulf War began in 1990 that the military was viewed again with anything resembling respect.
Up until the Vietnam War, veterans were honored and revered in America. Veterans Day began as Armistice Day when in November 1919, President Wilson declared November 11th as the first commemoration of with the following words:
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
The original concept was for a day celebrated with parades and public gatherings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m. An Act approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November of each year a legal holiday and was known as “Armistice Day.” Designed to celebrate the end of WWI, it was indeed a cause for celebration.
In 1954, after World War II and the Korean War, Congress amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
Changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day was a little confusing. For many veterans, especially those who served in war zones and conditions, they see little to celebrate. Why say Happy Veterans Day to a Vietnam or Iraq or Afghanistan Vet whose memories of the years in country trigger PTSD? While I still don’t think it’s appropriate to say Happy Veterans Day, November 11 each year helps us focus on the important purpose of Veterans Day. That is to recognize America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. It is a time set aside to meaningfully thank veterans, rather than a “holiday.”
That Thank You aspect of Veterans Day is a pretty big deal in our community where thousands of veterans are living out their retirement years. It’s a great day to go get a free meal somewhere, or, as Randy and I do every year, a free haircut at Great Clips. Randy wears a hat everywhere he goes, every time he leaves the house year round, that identifies him as an Air Force retiree. He gets thanked for his service often. I feel a little left out sometimes, but that’s my own fault. I don’t wear a hat everywhere I go. If I did, identifying myself as a veteran, I’d get thanked for my service too.
Sometime those thank yous feel a little too automatic though. “Thank you for your service” has become a conditioned phrase, like “have a good day.” People say it, but how many consciously understand what it involved and mean the thank you?
Randy and I are blessed that our years in the military (23 for Randy, 4 for me), were served mostly during peacetime. Randy started his Air Force career loading bombs on B-52s at the very tail end of the Vietnam War. Thankfully, he was never actually in a combat zone. Being in the military enriched our lives significantly and the benefits we now enjoy because Randy made a career of it are a major reason we live our retirement life without worrying about money.
Still, I just can’t help feeling that celebration is absolutely the wrong word for November 11 every year. Many veterans are not so lucky as we are. Many came home from their service with physical and mental trauma. Being reminded of their military service is not a good thing in their lives. So please, be aware that Veterans Day is a day to be aware and compassionate that all veterans had different experiences and difference outcomes of their time in service. Many did not choose to serve, most of the Vietnam era veterans were drafted, and not all of them may be proud of their service. Yet all should be treated with honor, respect, and gratitude. Today is the day formally set aside to do that.
P.S. One of the year-round activities designed to honor and thank veterans all around the country are Honor Flights. A friend, involved in the local hub (which is what they call their chapters), recently approached me and Randy about this wonderful way to show, in a very real way, gratitude and love for veterans. I encourage you, if you really want to honor veterans, to check out the national Honor Flight organization. At their website, linked here, you can find a local hub, consider getting involved or donating to their very worthy veteran honoring activities.
P.P.S. Pray earnestly and often for world peace. Imagine Planet Earth with no war. And then pray again for world peace and those who are trying to achieve it.
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