Honor Those Who Serve

Bugler blows Taps

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month peace was declared to end World War I. Our ancestors believed that this was the war to end all wars. This was not to be and by the time I was born Americans were already engaged in the beginning of another great war.
   Somewhere in the world our military has been engaged in a war or "police action" where the bullets are just as hot my entire life. For the last eighty years our military has put their lives on the line for us defending our freedom and way of life.
November 11th was first designated as Armistice Day in 1919 by then President Woodrow Wilson and continued to do so until shortly before I graduated from high school The name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all members of the military, both living and dead.
   This moment from our history was observed by a minute of complete silence followed by a bugler blowing "Taps." This simple ritual is no longer observed with the passage of time and customs, except by those who do remember the shadows of World War II. That is until Nine-eleven forcibly reminded us that we too are vulnerable.
   Recently I attended a formal military funeral for a veteran from World War II. The keynote of the ceremony was respect for the man and the service he gave to his country.
   These men and women of our military put their personal lives and families on hold for us. They come from all walks of life by many different paths. They represent every race of human beings who have chosen the United States for their home, plus those who descend from who originally inhabited the continent. They adhere to different political creeds and every religious affiliation imaginable because they are Americans who are free to follow their own road.
   Give them the respect they have earned by their own devotion to duty and country as they are willing to give their lives for us.