God Bless Our Veterans and God Bless America
Today, November 11, 2024, we honor millions of American men and women who have served our country valiantly in times of war and times of peace. They left behind their families and the land they loved to defend and protect our freedom.
Veteran’s Day was originally celebrated as Armistice Day in 1919. Following the end of World War I, Congress commemorated the armistice which ended the war on the Western Front on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. There was a call to celebrate peace and remember the veterans who fought bravely to defend our freedom. It was not until November 11, 1938, that Armistice Day was declared a national holiday.
World War I was called the war to end all wars, but sadly we know that it did not end all wars. Millions of brave Americans fought in World War II and the Korean War. On June 1, 1954, Congress changed the name of this holiday from Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day, so it fittingly honors all our veterans. Since 1954, Americans have fought courageously in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq. Today over 170,000 Americans are stationed on military bases around the world putting their lives on the line every day so we can live in freedom in America.
At Arlington National Cemetery in 1983, President Ronald Reagan honored our veterans with these words: “Each time our nation has called upon our citizens to serve, the best have come forward. Words cannot express our gratitude and admiration. But we can and should take the opportunity on this Veterans Day to remember their gift to us. . . . Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they've suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us. That is our duty. They have never let America down. We will not let them down.”
Our veterans and their families deserve nothing less than our respect with grateful hearts for the price they have paid for our freedom.