Sunday was Veterans Day. Did you notice?
Every Nov. 11, we commemorate those who have risked their lives to protect the lives of others. The day has gone and past, but that's no reason to forget the work that our veterans have done.
Veterans Day has a long history. It first began in Nov. 1919 as Armistice Day when President Woodrow Wilson promised that reflections "will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations." Since 1954, it has been referred to as Veterans Day to expand the holiday to honor all veterans and not just those who died in World War I.
As of last year, there are 21.5 million military veterans in the United States. New York accounts for about 1,025,500 of them and has the fourth most in the nation. The holiday is something that gets overshadowed if you don't have anybody close to you who has served. But we all have somebody who's been affected by it, whether we realize it or not. We have to remember to take note not just of the fighters but also of the families - the wives, the husbands, the sisters, the daughters, the brothers and the sons.
Veterans Day definitely isn't a glamorous holiday. Maybe that's why it doesn't get much attention - from the media or otherwise - when the day comes around. The semester is winding down for students, so if any holiday is on their minds it's Thanksgiving, and similar holidays like Memorial Day are celebrated when the summer months are rolling in. We are not a give-and-take society; we are just a take society. If it falls on a weekend and doesn't give us time off from work or school, it gets pushed aside. There are no gifts or dinners or weeks of primetime movies. We receive nothing in return.
And it's selfish because what our veterans have done for us is the most selfless act you can imagine. The celebration of our veterans shouldn't be isolated to one day, but if it must, we need to at least give them that - to honor each and every day they went out to fight for our freedom.
We give one day to them a year, and we can't even remember what day is it or don't give our time to celebrate it. It's becoming more and more obvious how underappreciated our veterans are, especially when you look at unemployment numbers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment for post-9/11 veterans is at 10 percent, and veteran unemployment on general terms dropped to 6.3 percent last month. They've risked their lives and aren't getting much in return for it.
We place so much focus on the politics of the Iraq War that we are disconnected from the people behind those politics. We've reached the last of what's left from our most deadly war and have lost all that fought in World War I.
We are a divided country, but Election Day is over. We fight for different individual beliefs but for one cause. Whether or not you support the government, support your military and remember all they have fought for - specifically you.
Email: editorial@ubspectrum.com
