What Makes Today Special?

What Makes Today Special? November 11, is of course, Veterans Day.

November 11, for those who do not know the history, was chosen for Veterans Day as it is the date when World War I ended with the “armistice” between the Allies and the Germans — it was specifically “the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” in 1918. For a long time, it was referred to simply as Armistice Day and was intended to honor veterans of World War I. In 1954 it became Veterans Day to honor American veterans of all wars.

In the last several decades in America, now that we have all-volunteer armed forces, many people have relatively limited contact with the military. Perhaps more have a connection to the military via parents or grandparents, since the “draft,” which was in place from 1940 to 1973, caused a major expansion of the number of people serving as soldiers or sailors or marines.

A very substantive contact I had with the military was about 7 years ago. I had the privilege of going to West Point to attend an interesting conference: about a dozen each of Army generals, business executives and non-profit executives (one of which was me). It was really a bridge-building exercise between these three “worlds” which often have little to do with each other.

But being at West Point for a few days and having the opportunity to meet some of the West Point cadets and others, in settings formal and informal, was a moving experience. In our everyday lives, it is all too easy to forget that we and our freedoms are defended by people who are willing to put themselves in harm’s way. During that visit, it was impossible to avoid seeing it and being personally touched.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to our nation’s veterans. So, to those veterans currently with us and those who left us for haven, I THANK YOU!