Veterans Day Message

November is a month of transition as cooler temperatures and shorter daylight hours beckon the approach of winter. It is also a time of giving thanks; the fourth Thursday is a nationwide day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens" as proclaimed by President Lincoln in 1863, and November 11 is a day set aside for expressing thanks and appreciation to our country's veterans.

Lest we forget, it is important that we recognize the significance of Veterans Day; those who have served and are currently serving to keep us and our country free and safe.

What we recognize as Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, in observance of the Versailles treaty of November 11, 1918, to honor the soldiers who fought in WWI. It was officially recognized as a holiday by a resolution of Congress in 1926, and by an act of Congress in 1938 became a federal holiday. In 1954, with WWII and the Korean War being recent memories, Congress changed Armistice Day to Veteran’s day in order to honor all veterans who have served.

 
Though our country officially recognizes the immeasurable contributions and sacrifices made by our veterans on this one day, our veterans and the men and women currently serving deserve our respect and appreciation each and every day.

As we go about our lives, we often take for granted or are oblivious to the rights and freedoms that we enjoy in this country. We can raise our families, and go to baseball and football games at our pleasure. We can take vacations and travel anywhere in the country without being questioned, and we feel safe and secure in our homes. We can believe as we choose and express our opinions, from politics to religion, without fear of retribution from our government.

In his 1796 farewell speech, President George Washington said; “The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations. You have in a common cause fought and triumphed together. The independence and liberty you posses are the work of joint councils and joint efforts, of common dangers, sufferings, and successes.” And Samuel Adams said: “The liberties of our Country, the freedom of our civil constitution are worth defending at all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have receiv'd them as a fair Inheritance from our worthy Ancestors: They purchas'd them for us with toil and danger and expence of treasure and blood; and transmitted them to us with care and diligence.”

The soldiers of the Revolution, against overwhelming odds, chose to risk everything including their liberty, fortunes, families, and lives to face an army of superior strength and training to earn, at all costs, the freedom that many of them did not live to see and that we enjoy to this day.
Many of us cannot begin to comprehend the unselfish sacrifices and unthinkable sufferings our veterans have endured since we declared our independence, in order to secure and maintain our freedom. They know all too well that freedom isn’t free; it is sometimes very costly, but worth defending at any price.

Throughout our country’s history, our soldiers have continued to willingly and selflessly accept any risk to protect the United States of America and ensure that we may continue to enjoy the liberty, comfort, and security offered by a free nation such as ours.

During the Battle of Britain, in a speech before the House of Commons, Winston Churchill spoke the timeless words: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,” referring to the Royal Air Force pilots who defended London during the battle of Britain. Though we don’t give it much consideration in our daily routines, we the citizens of the United States of America owe so very much to so few, each and every day; those who have served our country, and those who are currently serving.
As we go about our daily routines, let us all pause from time to time to truly appreciate the freedom and security that we enjoy, and most importantly be thankful for our veterans who have given so much more than many of us can comprehend to defend our rights our freedoms and our country, and keep all who currently serve every hour of every day to protect and defend our country in our thoughts and prayers.

May God bless our veterans and our soldiers currently serving, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
Gary Foster