What does Thursday, November 11th, “Veterans Day” mean to you?

To me, Veterans Day is a special time to remember our Servicemen and women “living and dead” who for 234 years stood up in defense of this great nation. The Liberty Bell continues to ring because of people like: George Washington, Robert E. Lee, George S. Patton and the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II who supported the Constitution.

On Veterans Day let’s not forget that it was American Patriot Patrick Henry who said:

“It can not be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by the religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Let us remember that George Washington led his troops in prayer before they crossed the Delaware River on a cold-snowy night to surprise the British and Hessian Troops on December 26, 1776.

Our children should know of Andrew Jackson and a ragtag army who defeated the British in 1815 at the Battle of New Orleans. A young officer named Wade Hampton of South Carolina rode 750 miles in ten days to Columbia, South Carolina, and then to Washington, D.C. to tell President Madison and the country of the great victory.

We shall never forget that in March, 1836, a small group of men at the Alamo stood between Santa Anna’s 5,000 man army and the unprepared small army of Sam Houston. In the lonely monastery of the Alamo were Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and less than two hundred men under Colonel William Travis. Just days before Santa Anna’s final assault, these men came into the Alamo, knowing they might die.

On their last night on earth the men of the Alamo prayed that their battle would, somehow, lead to victory even though they might not see it. A short time later at San Jacinto Houston defeated Santa Anna with the battle cry of “Remember the Alamo!”

Lest we forget the men of the Confederacy and Union who fought four long-bloody years during the War Between the States, 1861- 1865. There have been many names but the United States Congress would officially name it “The War Between the States.” Since the Spanish American War the Confederate Battle flag has been the blood brother of the Stars and Stripes as Southerners have taken their place at the front in all our nation’s wars.

May we continue to remember that in February 1898, the American Battleship Maine blew up in Havana Harbor with nearly 300 dead. The Spanish-American War brought Teddy Roosevelt’s “Roughriders” to Cuba to charge up San Juan Hill to victory. Old Joe Wheeler, a former Confederate Cavalry General, was there with him. Wheeler got excited and forgot which war he was in. He shouted, “There they are, go get those Yankees!”

In Greensboro, North Carolina a six year old girl named Mary Frances Barker awoke to the shouts of a boy far down the street. It was 5:00 A.M. November 12, 1918. It was the paper boy shouting, “The war is over, the war is over!” World War I had finally come to an end on the 11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month (November) of 1918.

The United States Congress proclaimed “Armistice Day” a year later on November 11, 1919.

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the first word of the attack on Pearl Harbor came by radio. Newspapers did run “extras” that Sunday with little information and a lot of fear. That Sunday would become “a day of infamy.” On Monday December 8th President Franklin D. Roosevelt, during a special session of Congress, spoke of the attack and asked Congress to declare war on Japan. His speech was broadcast on the radio.

F.D.R.‘s closing words were: “With the abounded determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph, so help us God!”

Since that time there was Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq. We can not forget that we were attacked again on September 11, 2001.

Since World War II, we have seen prayer taken out of our schools and “Under God” under attack on the pledge of allegiance. Are we still a nation of God as we once were?

Armistice Day became “Veteran’s Day” in 1954. Let’s all remember men like: Ira Hayes, Mike Strank, Franklin Sousley, Rene Gagnon, John Bradley and Harlon Blockwho placed the United States flag on top of Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Three of these men were later killed at Iwo Jima and the other three helped promote the sale of war bonds.

God Bless our Veterans!

It means the day that I arrived in navy boot camp in 1975 and the day that I got out in 1981 after serving as a bubblehead nuke.

It means the day that my father passed away, two years ago. He was a proud surgeon leftenant in the British Royal Navy in the early 50’s. Back when England had a navy they could be proud of.

It also means the day that I give thanks to everyone who served honorably since 1776.

What it means is that I need to earn what these men paid for.

It means being thankful for friends who give it their all:

To me it means honoring my father (an AF retiree), my brother (AF), my nephew (Army - 3 tours in Iraq), and many uncles and great uncles who served in WWII.

Yesterday I watched a documentary about the Saipan invasion. The image seared in my mind was a battle weary, filthy, exhausted Marine holding a Japanese infant in his arms while his M1 was hanging from his other shoulder. That is want today means to me.

It means a few minutes of remembrance. Faces of men who will never grow old - they died young. A group of voices on a radio before they stopped in mid sentence. Students who became men before their time. Friends who I look forward to seeing again.

It is a time of thanks - I have lived when others’ didn't and have had a full life.

A name here, a sound there, a faint scent there. They are all memories and reminders of those I knew and have went before. A quite bit of thanks and a prayer - wait a bit longer for me, please.

I called my son to say “thank you”. Seems so strange that my baby boy is a veteran. He has certainly made me proud. Remember my uncles who in WWII: some lost their lives, all served well and proudly.