On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 1=
1th month of 1918, an armistice ended the fighting of the “=
;war to end all wars”. Maps pulled down on the chalk board said it wa=
s the “Great War”. As the son of a World War II vet who had ret=
urned from the Philippines, I remember celebrating Armistice Day in my clas=
sroom during the Korean War. Lots of flag-waving, poems, and songs.
Guess by 1954=
the government realized the generation of the First World War was greatly =
eclipsed in numbers by those of the Second. So, they changed the name from =
the poignant but outdated “Armistice Day” to cover the now mill=
ions of living Veterans of all eras, in war or peace.
The President announced, &=
#8220;Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our co=
untry can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude.”
I would add, “For the veteran, =
thank you for bravely doing what you’re called to do so we can safely=
do what we’re free to do.”
Each May, Memorial Day is reserved to hon=
or the fallen of our wars. But veterans had the fortune of coming home. On =
Veterans’ Day we honor them. And we are reminded that we ALL have a r=
esponsibility to serve. Twenty-five million veterans are living among us to=
day. These men and women selflessly set aside their civilian lives to put o=
n the uniform and serve us.
We owe all our veterans a debt we can never fully rep=
ay.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
"Jesus Knows Me, T=
his I Love!"