Today is Veterans Day. Given that only 6 percent of the people of this nation have ever put on a uniform–including those currently serving–I am not sure many Americans have any idea why Veterans Day is a holiday.

Yes, it means schools and most government offices are closed. But it means a lot more to the men and women who served this country.

Veterans Day allows Americans to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans. However, the Department of Veterans Affairs reports that most Americans confuse this holiday with Memorial Day.

Memorial Day honors service members who died in service to their country or due to injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day. Still, the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime.

Someone, I don’t know who, once defined a veteran this way: “A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America,’ for an amount of ‘ up to, and including his or her life.”

That is the definition of honor and sacrifice. Those who have not served can never fully comprehend or appreciate that concept.

Too many people in this country today no longer understand the meaning of honor and sacrifice.

Today, when some athletes feel entitled to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem or when our nation’s flag is burned or disrespected, it’s a slap in the face to all veterans.

Yes, it is a First Amendment right to display that contempt and to disparage those who served. The great irony is that those who dishonor the flag enjoy the advantages and freedoms veterans have won for them just the same.

Since its founding in 1776, the United States has fought in about a dozen major wars—and intervened militarily in dozens of others—with every generation of Americans witnessing combat in one form or another. As such, tens of millions of Americans have served in the armed forces, including some 16 million during World War II alone. Those who have served include 31 of 46 presidents.

I joined the U.S. Army in the 1960s and spent almost four years on active duty with the Army Security Agency (ASA). The ASA was engaged in SIGINT, or signals intelligence, which meant our mission was to track and monitor foreign/enemy military units.  Joining the Army was one of the best things I’ve ever done. It taught me about leadership, self-discipline, and teamwork. It taught me to be dependable and trustworthy. And it showed me the importance of serving something more important than yourself—the country you were fortunate to be a citizen of.

Here are a few facts about the nation’s veterans.

• According to the Census Bureau, 18 million veterans live in the United States as of 2023. Of these, 1.6 million veterans are women.
• More than one million Americans have died in warfare, the vast majority in just two conflicts: the Civil War and World War II.
• A large proportion of the veteran population, approximately 9.2 million, is 65 years old or older, while 1.6 million are younger than 35.
• The American labor force has 7.2 million veterans ages 18 to 65. Of these, 6.8 million are employed. The annual median incomes of male and female veterans are higher than those of their nonveteran counterparts.

By the way, yesterday, November 10, marked the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps in 1775.

So, I will end with a military shout-out to the U.S. Marine Corps and all of my fellow veterans who put on the uniform of this country and served:

HOO-RAH! HOOYAH! OOH-RAH! HUA! (Take your pick)

–30–

Here’s a bonus. Click on this link for a short video about the last living World War II recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

https://biggeekdad.com/2014/08/iwo-jima-flame-thrower/

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