As We Celebrate Our Veterans On This Veterans’ Day
by a member of the VFW AUXILIARYÂ
As we celebrate our veterans on this Veterans’ Day, I feel honored to be standing up here in front of so many people who are interested in honoring our veterans.
How wonderful it is to see the spirit of patriotism growing in our country! Once again, it is popular to publicly express love for our great country.
That patriotic spirit has spread to Americans of all ages. Children wear patriotic clothing, teenagers put flag bumper stickers on their cars, college students hang flags in their dorm-room windows, and adults fly flags or place patriotic lawn ornaments in front of their homes.
Recent events have made us realize what we have as Americans – and the freedom we enjoy. Today we recognize those who have protected and continue to protect our way of life.
Originally called “Armistice Day,†this day was conceived as a tribute to the Americans who sacrificed their lives in World War I.  Now we also honor all American veterans who have served in any war, before or after World War I – to defend democracy. We honor our veterans from every time of peace as well, for they protect what our war veterans fought and died to defend. We celebrate this day – we honor veterans today – because we know that without them, there would be no “land of the free.†Without the veterans of the American Revolution, there would not even be the United States of America.
Without the veterans of the Civil War – who fought on either side for what they believed in – the strong, united America we know today might never have been possible. Without the World War II veterans, we might be living in a country – in a world – where freedom of choice or the right to vote no longer exists. And without those currently fighting the War on Terrorism, we would be living in constant fear – or simply, without freedom.
All of our veterans have protected our democracy – our freedom – our way of life. Today, we honor and thank them. And tomorrow, we must continue to honor them. They have given us the chance to live in freedom today and an opportunity to look forward to tomorrow. They have given us every day, and they have protected every freedom.
Finally, We must honor them every day, in every way that we can. The best way to honor our veterans is to take an active part in maintaining freedom in America. We must teach future generations about what it means to be an American. We must volunteer in our communities, take care of veterans and their families, vote in elections, and continue to try to make America the very best that it can be. Without our veterans, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Without you, we won’t be able to reach where we could be tomorrow. Thank you for honoring our veterans on this day. May God bless them, you, and the United States of America.
