November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States. It’s the day designated to honor those who have served in the armed forces.
President Woodrow Wilson designated that particular day because the belligerent powers signed an armistice to halt World War I on November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m. For that reason, they called it “Armistice Day.”
(Memorial Day is celebrated the last Monday in May).
“Memorial Day remembers those who lost their lives defending the United States. Veterans Day is to honor those who have served,” he reminds us most years.
(Note: there is no apostrophe in Veterans Day. Wikipedia explains: “While the holiday is commonly printed as Veteran’s Day or Veterans’ Day in calendars and advertisements [spellings that are grammatically acceptable], the United States government has declared that the attributive (no apostrophe) rather than the possessive case is the official spelling.”)
Remembrance Day
The United States remembers its veterans this week. Other countries around the world are also acknowledging the men and women who served.
The United Kingdom honors its soldiers with Remembrance Day.
Veterans’ groups handed out poppies, often with copies of the famous poem, In Flanders Fields, by John McCrae. You know how it begins:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.
Red poppies became a symbol of remembrance of the war. The red symbolizes all the blood spilled in death.
In 2014, the United Kingdom memorialized the 800,000+ deaths from their country during World War I by “spilling” red ceramic poppies from the Tower of London.
The photo above shows what the moat looked like in September 2014.
Poppies grow all over the world. They became associated with the World War I dead because they sprouted so quickly in soil churned up by battle.
Local Recognition
Our church recognized all the veterans in the congregation by having them stand and be acknowledged.
One woman served in the Navy in the 1970s- well before women became as plentiful in the service as they are now. (And the stories she can tell . . . ).
We fly our flag on November 11 to honor family members who have served in the armed forces.
Most of them are dead. None in my family died in uniform, however, since Captain Dial of the North Carolina militia in 1753. (French and Indian War).
Serving in the armed forces changed my family’s life.
As a genealogist, I’ve learned that eight ancestors assisted the patriots in the American Revolution. One of my ancestors served in the Confederate States Army. It was the same year his cousin, Abraham Lincoln, served as president of the United States.
Family veterans in the 20th century.
My favorite private, 1918
My grandfather earned his American citizenship by serving in the US Army during World War I. You can read more about his surprising story here.
Both my uncles became skilled electricians in the service. They spent the rest of their lives working in electronics, computers, and other communication technologies.
My father-in-law served during the waning months of World War II.
He arrived on an aircraft carrier the day the war ended.
Americans learned a hard lesson during the Vietnam War. So many veterans were not welcomed home that many of us felt ashamed. Since the First Gulf War, we have greeted veterans with respect and honor.
I’m thankful for that change.
Most of the veterans I know say they don’t need to be honored. They were simply doing their job.
But I’ll thank them anyway.
And I’ll thank God the red poppy isn’t part of my family’s history.
In Canada, we too, wear a poppy from October 30th to noon on Remembrance Day. It is now a newer tradition to leave the poppy on the memorial as one is leaving the annual Remembrance Day service.
My position as a contractor has always given me pause – do I stand or not, when the veterans are called to attention?
It’s a tough one, because ‘contractor’ can and has been defined as ‘mercenary’. It’s not a word that commends respect, but I am not ashamed. I fought for the interests of my country, and so that its citizens could sleep well at night.
I’d do it again, and if the cost is a life in the shadows, so be it.
The contractors, particularly recently, have paid a heavy price. They may have been paid more (or not, I don’t know), but they certainly faced the same dangers. So I’ll stand up in your honor, Andrew!
In Canada, we too, wear a poppy from October 30th to noon on Remembrance Day. It is now a newer tradition to leave the poppy on the memorial as one is leaving the annual Remembrance Day service.
Lovely post.
My position as a contractor has always given me pause – do I stand or not, when the veterans are called to attention?
It’s a tough one, because ‘contractor’ can and has been defined as ‘mercenary’. It’s not a word that commends respect, but I am not ashamed. I fought for the interests of my country, and so that its citizens could sleep well at night.
I’d do it again, and if the cost is a life in the shadows, so be it.
The contractors, particularly recently, have paid a heavy price. They may have been paid more (or not, I don’t know), but they certainly faced the same dangers. So I’ll stand up in your honor, Andrew!