Today’s holiday is celebrated on November 11th of each year, and originated with the Federal holiday of Armistice Day. On that day (the 11th day of the 11th month) in 1918, an armistice was signed that formally ended World War I. This date is celebrated in Commonwealth nations (nations of the former British Empire) as Remembrance Day. For The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret fans, that’s the parade Todd crashes…a faux pas indeed.
In 1953, Alvin King of Emporia, Kansas began a campaign to expand Armistice Day into celebrating not only veterans from WWI, but all veterans who had served their country. The campaign helped to create a bill which was passed in 1954, and from then on, the holiday has been known as Veterans Day.
Because it is a Federal holiday, the best way for me to celebrate today would have been to not come in to work. Alas, my higher ups didn’t by me taking off for Veterans Day twice in one year. However, because no mail is delivered on Veterans Day, I did not participate in either opening my mail or delivering it. That’ll show ‘em…
In all seriousness, Veterans Day is a time to reflect and a time to remember those that have served their nation in peacetime and wartime. That kind of service is at the very heart of what it means to be “patriotic.” Patriotism is a powerful thing, and it’s often confused with the stuff that’s portrayed in a Toby Keith CD or on Fox News. Patriotism isn’t about who can yell “I Love America!” the loudest, or be the most closed minded to other cultures or wear the biggest American flag shirt. Patriotism can’t be sold and it can’t be purchased.
No, patriotism is unlike the consumer culture that we’ve created for ourselves here in the good old U.S. of A. Patriotism is about sacrifice. And it’s that sacrifice that we celebrate on a day like Veterans Day. It’s a sacrifice that I was never strong enough to make, which makes my respect and admiration for those that have and those that do and those that will all the more real. They’ve done something with their lives that I will never be able to do, and they've put their lives on the line for the very freedoms that I (sadly) often take for granted.
Yes, this Holiday Month project is supposed to be a fun and lighthearted way to spend January. But it's also been a way for me to reflect on how I live my life, and how I can do better. The veterans that we celebrate on the 11th day of the 11th month are fighting for that, and it's a challenge I wish to accept. For now, thank you, Veterans, for all that you've done and for all that you do and for all that you will do for years to come.
Yes, this Holiday Month project is supposed to be a fun and lighthearted way to spend January. But it's also been a way for me to reflect on how I live my life, and how I can do better. The veterans that we celebrate on the 11th day of the 11th month are fighting for that, and it's a challenge I wish to accept. For now, thank you, Veterans, for all that you've done and for all that you do and for all that you will do for years to come.
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