A Veteran provides the Veteran's Day program.
VeteransDay Address for Rotarans
November 9th,2010
Good Morning fellow Rotarians and Guests. Each year we as Americans celebrate Veterans Day. I wonder how many of us really know anything about besides the obvious. By the definition we all can figure out it has to do with Veterans.
This morning I am going to share the history of and origination of the day that many Americans simply view as another federal holiday…or day off.
Veterans Day began as Armistice Day as a result of the signing of the Armistice that ended the fighting of World War I on the eleventh day of the eleventh month on the eleventh hour of 1918…November 11th,1918 at 11:00AM. When President Wilson proclaimed November 11th, 1919 as the first Armistice day, he said
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with lots of pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with the 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.”
The United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later on June 4th,1926 requesting President Calvin Coolidge to observe November 11th, with appropriate ceremonies. On May 13th, 1938 a law was enacted making November 11th of each year a national holiday…” a day to be designated to the cause of world peace and thereafter to be celebrated as “Armistice Day.”
In 1953 a Kansas shoe store owner named Alfred King began a movement to celebrate not just the veterans of a WW1 but it should be a day to celebrate all veterans…his campaign caught the attention of the Emporia Chamber of Commerce with 90% of the merchants and the board of education supporting the closing of their doors on November 11th to honor the veterans. U.S.Rep Ed Rees from Emporia, Kansas introduced the bill which President Eisenhower signed into law on May 26th, 1954. Congress amended the act 6 days later on June 1st replacing Armistice with Veterans. It has been Veterans Day every since.
Although originally scheduled to be celebrated on November 11 each year, in 1971 it was moved to the fourth Monday in October to comply with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. In 1978 it was moved back to November 11th where it has remained every since.
It is my privilege to stand before you today as a veteran. I stand here as a Marine but rest assured I represent men and women of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard as well. Every service has a distinct mission and every member is trained to be part of the team that accomplishes that mission. All services of the United States and our Allies train together in combined arms exercises all over the world to project power in defense of democracy and the interests of The United States and her allies. I truly believe we have the best trained, best equipped and most dedicated men and women defending the finest form of government the world has ever known. That’s not to say we are perfect…but we have more people trying to immigrate into the United States….legally and illegally than any other country in the world.
At one time in our history we were quite legitimately referred to as a conquering nation. Some of our country was purchased legitimately while some of it was seized or annexed by dubious means. Every piece of property occupied as a result of a successful military operation in the past 100 or so years has been returned to the people of that country. Most would argue that in much better shape than before the action that resulted in our occupation. The exception would be the 22 cemeteries in 8 countries where 125,000 Americans are interred having died there while fighting for that countries people. Today those cemeteries are meticulously maintained by the people of the countries where they are located.
In our country we enjoy freedoms that are unheard of in other countries around the world. To say they are envious is an understatement in many cases. Listen to the rantings of the Muslim extremists. For the most part every part of their lives and belief structure is dictated by their Inman or other religious head. Our forefathers were extremely cautious to ensure that we had NO state religion and that all of our people have the freedom to worship in the manner which they chose without recrimination. Our government and military services today are representative of many cultures, religions, races and beliefs….its what we are Americans that brings us together to support each other. We set the example for the world to follow….not out of fear of our reprisal but rather because of the respect they have for what our young nation has accomplished. For the ideals which our constitution set forth…and what our declaration of independence from our repressive mother country states, “That all men are created equal” is a powerful statement to the world about what we as a nation believe.
These freedoms are not free! They come at a very high price. Our Nation has sacrificed its sons and daughters, its best and brightest on the battlefields of the world to ensure that our sons and daughters, grandsons and great grand sons do not loose the freedoms our forefathers wrote into the foundations of our government… That their countrymen sacrificed their lives and fortunes for. Today so many people take these freedoms for granted. Have you watched people stand and chat while our Nations flag passes in a parade…or our National anthem is played? Have you listened to people who casually dismissed their right to vote?
Have you watched protestors burn our flag to make their point? Have they ever thought of the sacrifice that so many have made so that they could do what they do and say what they say?
I can’t help but wonder what John Adams and Thomas Jefferson would say today if they could listen to the arguments being held in the supreme court in the name of the documents they and their countrymen drafted and signed some 235 years ago?
Let us remember that it is the Veteran not the Preacher that gives us Freedom of religion, It is the Veteran not the reporter that gives us the freedom of the press, It is the Veteran not the poet that gives us freedom of speech, it is the veteran , not the campus organizer that gives us freedom to assemble, it is the Veteran not the lawyer that gives us the right to a fair trial, and it is the veteran not the politician that gives us the right to vote.
I would be remise if I did not mention the fact that the United States Marine Corps was formed on the 10th of November 1775 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Appropriatly it was founded in a Tavern….Tun Tavern. The Continental Congress Authorized the raising of two Battalions of Marines commanded by Captain Samuel Nicholas. The first recruiting officer was Captain Robert Mullins…the Tavern owner. Two hundred and thirty-five years later the Marine Corps is known throughout the world as a premier fighting force and commonly referred to as “America’s 911”. I reported for duty at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island 42 years ago to begin what became my privilege to serve this great nation and its people. As a 19 year old I had no idea what lay ahead. I thank God everyday that I had that I had that opportunity. It was an amazing experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
I thank you my fellow Rotarians and Americans for the opportunity to serve you….It has been my honor and my privilege. Lets thank every young man and woman in uniform today for what they do, without question, and without hesitation for each and every one of us.
God Bless the United States of America and Thank You Rotary for your support of peace and harmony around the world . Remember …no one hates wars more than those that shed the blood in them.
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