Forum Editorial: A day for honoring

By Phil Cobb | November 10, 2022 |

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There are only a few specific days on the calendar each year that have special meaning: there is Christmas Day on December 25, Valentine’s Day on February 14 and Independence Day on July 4, but maybe the most important of those days in November 11.

Why is that day so special? Because the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month signified the end to the Great War (World War I). It is also the day that is now called Veterans Day.

Veterans Day is not a day of celebration, it is a day of remembrance where we honor those who sacrificed so much to allow all of us here in the United States to enjoy the freedoms we so often take for granted. Hopefully, this past Tuesday all of those eligible to vote exercised that freedom so many have fought for, because it is one of the most American things that we can do.

But this is not about voting or any other rights and responsibilities that we have. It is about paying respect and honor to those who wrote a blank check to the American people to be paid for up to their life. As a people we may not always agree on individual issues, but the one thing we can agree on is to offer a heartfelt thanks to the men and women who served our great nation.

Is it too much to ask of our society in this era of swipes, likes, videos and memes to actually honor our nation’s veterans, to take the time to have a conversation with one of them or to go to a ceremony? You may not know the difference that it makes.

Each passing year there are fewer and fewer people who show up to Veterans Day events as we deem ourselves too busy. Every month we are losing more veterans to age-related deaths, especially those from World War II and the Korean War, which has been dubbed the Forgotten War. And unfortunately we are losing anywhere from 17 to 44 veterans each day to suicide depending on the data you choose to believe.

We have a duty as a people to remember the sacrifices that our neighbors made so we can enjoy the lives we lead. Because “all gave some; some gave all.” Let us take a few moments from our day and tell a veteran “thank you” or “welcome home.” Even if that one moment we give is on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Those individuals did their duty now it is time we do ours.