By Billy Holland
President Reagan in a radio address to the nation in 1983 is quoted, “Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us.”
In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, a cease fire was declared as the signing of the Armistice effectively ended World War I. (The armistice, after initially expiring after 36 days, was extended several times. A formal peace agreement was reached only when the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919.)
A year later, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 as Armistice Day for the soldiers who survived as they marched in hometown parades. However, the first celebration using the term “Veterans Day” occurred in Birmingham, Ala., in 1947. Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran, organized a National day to honor all veterans which included a parade and other festivities.
In 1954, president Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation changing the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. A law passed in 1968 to change the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October.
It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its original date. The Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act was passed in 2016.
Though I did not serve in the military, I’m proud of my son, who is a Marine and then later served with the Department of Homeland Security. He is now a police officer at a Veterans Healthcare facility. Neither my father nor my grandfather served, but on my mother’s side of the family, it’s quite a different story. My mom’s father served in World War I, and her three of her brothers served in Korea, from which, sadly, one did not return. My Uncle Kenny, at only 20 years old, was killed on the battlefield.
As a chaplain for a veterans retirement facility, and it’s an honor to spend quality time with the many fine men and women of our nation’s armed forces. In this month of remembrance, I believe it’s important to not only respect and preserve their amazing accomplishments in battle but to also appreciate who they are as individuals.
I remember visiting a man named Edward Hicks several years ago who willingly stepped forward when his country needed him the most. He was only 22 and had just married his lovely bride, Mary Lou, four months earlier. He received the call to join the front-line and bravely responded to what would be known around the world as “Operation Overlord.”
I recently read a story about a soldier, Pvt. 1st Class Roman Davis, who served with U.S. Army intelligence in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. They were essentially in a black zone, which means if you venture outside of the wire, most likely someone is going to die or be wounded. They were tracking key targets such as Osama Bin Laden for over a year.
“I remember during that difficult time being incredibly homesick and just lost, if you will, in the middle of a hostile environment,” Davis said.
One day, a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter flew over their location and dropped a few bright yellow mail bags. The sergeant, who called Davis “Peaches” because he was from South Georgia, yelled, “Peaches, you have mail.” It was a box from home.
He cut it open, and removed layers of aluminum foil, and discovered his mamaw had sent him a huge sour cream pound cake.
“I’ve seen her bake many of these cakes and give them away as gifts, they are my favorite,” Davis said. “So, here I am 7,000 miles from home, and my grandmother’s pound cake is now sitting in front of me. My team is staring at it, so I pulled out my combat kabar and cut it into 12 massive chunks. As I tasted it … I cried. Sitting there on that dreary mountainside it could not have tasted more fresh or delicious as it would have in her kitchen. And, for that one moment … I felt so loved, even though I was lonely and cold, that cake warmed my heart. It was just like Mamaw was hugging me.”
We will never forget, not only those who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and especially the ones who did. President John F. Kennedy in his 1963 Thanksgiving proclamation on November 5 declared, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is to not just utter noble words but to live by them.”
Billy Holland is an ordained minister, a certified chaplain and Christian author. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com.
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