So we all know that our president never served in uniform. He received four college deferments while studying as well as a 4-F (not fit for military service) classification after graduating from Wharton School of Finance, the famous bone spurs deferment. With Trump likely to be the last Baby Boomer president, we should be politically beyond the issue of a candidate’s draft status so we can be thankful for that. On to a bit about Veteran’s Day.
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Armistice Day
The first Veterans Day was “Armistice Day”, Nov. 11, 1919. This was the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 was first designated a national holiday in 1938. You may remember that, in its aftermath, World War I was called the “War to End All Wars”. It was gruesome and deadly in ways the world had never seen before. The end of that war brought hope that we would never see its like again.
It was in 1954 that President Eisenhower renamed Armistice Day as Veterans Day. After all, we had seen a second world war so the hope that the 1918 Armistice was the final one had been dashed. Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday in October in 1971 but returned to November 11 in 1975 due to the holiday’s historic significance.
What It Means to Be a Veteran
A veteran is anyone who has served in the US military, wartime or peacetime. It’s that simple really. Veterans are people who made the choice to serve for many reasons. Some join because they believe that national defense is a priority. Some serve out of a sense of duty. Some serve because they see the military as the best route to the middle class. And, of course, some served solely because they were drafted.
To be a veteran, in my opinion, means as many things as there are veterans. Some served entire careers while some served shorter stints. Some are proud of their service and some are conflicted. Most see the day with pride while some see it ambiguously. However they see it, today is their day.
And to them I say thank you.
Happy Veterans Day.
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TOP COMMENTS
from elenacarlena:
As you probably know by now, bfitzinAR has been inexplicably banned and a lot of Kossacks are unhappy about it, including Peeps. After a Friday morning diary in her honor, bfitz sent a thank you for that, posted in the Peeps diary this afternoon and recommended for a Top Comment.
TOP MOJO
Top Mojo for yesterday, November 9, 2017, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo.
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