30 Days of Thankfulness- Veterans Day edition

You know, I actually wrote a list of what all my posts would be before November started. When writing my list late one night, I couldn't remember what day Veterans Day was, so I was going to incorporate veterans into my Election Day post. When I wrote that one, though, adding an additional topic took away from the flow of the narrative. So I will be changing my list a bit, and today's post will be about veterans, and peace, because everyone else is writing about Veterans Day today and I don't want to seem ungrateful.

Veterans Day hasn't always been known by that name. It was originally Armistice Day, a day to commemorate the day World War I ("the war to end all wars", a misnomer, unfortunately) ended. Armistice went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. So November 11th was Armistice Day, a day for parades and picnics and originally an end of business at 11 a.m. Kind of like a break for everyone. What a lovely idea. When President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day in 1919, he said "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day 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 nations..."

I guess part of the reason "Armistice" was changed to "Veterans" was to recognize those who fought in all wars and conflicts, and not just in the first World War. I think that along with the change, though, we have forgotten a little bit of what the holiday (or observance, if "holiday" is too festive a word) was originally about. When we think about Veterans Day today, we acknowledge those who have fought and died, and those who fought and lived, and those who are currently fighting. I heard recently that in some people's eyes, the switch from Armistice Day to Veterans Day switched the focus of the observance from peace to conflict.  Online, we post nice statements about how thankful we are that others have done the fighting for us, and we are thankful for our freedoms, but I think we forget to mention our gratitude for the wars that have ended, the peace that has been brought to nations, and we very seldom hear anything positive anymore about "the councils of nations." Especially with the conflicts our country is currently facing (the war in Afghanistan coming to an end, fighting in the middle east, the attack in Libya, the fact that some angry person is seemingly always burning a flag or cursing the country somewhere halfway around the world), I hear a lot about how wrong other countries are, or how wrong our leaders are, or how we should bomb this country or stop aid to that country. Perhaps when remembering our veterans today, and thanking the ones who are still with us, we can also say a prayer for our country, and for the nations who take issue with us, that we will all remember the original intent of the national holiday, and will be proud to live in a sympathetic and justice-minded country that does care about what happens to people around the world, and does seek peace and freedom for every nation, and does value being in those councils of nations.

I am thankful to live in a free country, and I am thankful for the sacrifices made by all veterans so we can have those freedoms we take for granted. I am thankful for my friends and family members currently serving in the military and the reserves. I am thankful for the organizations that work hard to support our veterans, picking up the pieces where our government has failed them. Happy Veteran's Day, and Happy Armistice Day, too.

More giving opportunities! Here are some top-rated charities who help our veterans. 

National Military Family Association

Hope for the Warriors

Homes for Our Troops

Wounded Warrior Project

USO