Veterans Day, the 11th day of the 11th month of the year, has been observed since President Woodrow Wilson first declared Armistice Day celebrating, like several other nations, the official end of hostilities during World War 1. That was the day and time when the agreement to lay down arms and end the war was concurred between the United States and Germany. The formal Treaty of Versailles was signed June 28, 1919.
In 1954, the name of the celebratory Day was changed to Veterans Day to honor all veterans of all wars, and differs from Memorial Day in that it is designed to celebrate all veterans, living and deceased, and give them thanks for their service, dedication, and willingness to serve both in war and peace. The nation also celebrates Armed Forces Day which will next to celebrated on May 26, 2026, to honor all those currently serving in the military service.
But while celebrating Veterans Day with pomp, circumstance, parties, parades, music and sheer happiness, it should also be a time to honor the families of all those veterans.
It isn’t easy to have served in the military; whether it is at a time of war or at peace, it is still a commitment to put national service above family dedication and care. Even in peacetime it is difficult for wives and children; either they stay at home or travel to the area where their spouse is stationed. That means giving up home, friends, routines and the rest of the family to pack up, say goodbyes, leave and search out new accommodations near some military installation. For kids, it means being uprooted from friends and school and having to establish themselves in a different place, possibly a different climate, perhaps a different country, and make new friends.
For parents and grandparents, even in peacetime, it is a time of concern about their offspring. For some parents, it’s hard to believe their son or daughter can actually make it on their own, can face the world, figure their own budget, find their own accommodations, even do their own laundry without the comforts…and freedom…of college dorms and fraternities or sororities.
In times of war, there is no measuring the pain of worry and concern for a child, spouse, parent or grandparent who may not even know where their military person is serving, whether he or she is safe even if perhaps they are not allowed contact because of their location or their job.
So yes, we should honor all Veterans-on-Veterans Day and should thank everyone we see with a military cap, a Marine Corps tattoo or a sweatshirt or jacket that indicates he or she is indeed a veteran or at least loves one enough to show some patriotic pride. But it’s also a suitable time to thank their families because they, too, have made the sacrifice of loss or change in order to contribute towards the protection of the United States.
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