In the list of holidays for the last quarter of the year, there are three that will undoubtedly stand out in anyone’s book — Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Halfway after Halloween and before Thanksgiving, though, is another holiday that is definitely worth remembering — Veteran’s Day.
The 11th of November is remembered as the day when the First World War officially ended, with the signing of the Armistice by the Germans – on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 1918; certainly a whole lot of 11s to make this significant day difficult to forget. Initially, the day was commemorated as Armistice Day, as proclaimed by the President of the United States Woodrow Wilson in 1919, a year after the historic day.
As other wars since the First World War came and went, it became apparent that there are other veterans that need to be remembered other than those who served in World War I that ended on Armistice Day. It was a shoe store owner from Emporia, Kansas, Al King, who came up with the idea to expand the reach of Armistice Day to include all American veterans, regardless of which war they fought in. President Dwight Eisenhower signed this inclusion into a law on May 26, 1954, and on November 8 that same year, Armistice Day became known as Veterans Day.
On Veterans Day weekend, one might want to commemorate the sacrifices of our beloved American soldiers by taking time to enrich our knowledge on the lives that they lead and the challenges that they face. Bratton DeLoach of islanpacket.com has recommendations for those who would like to do a bit of reading on Veterans Day, including:
• “A Gift of Valor; A War Story” by Michael Phillips, about the life of Medal of Honor recipient Marine Cpl Jason Dunham
• “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10” by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson
• “Escape from the Deep: The Epic Story of a Legendar Submarine and Her Courageous Crew” by Alex Kershaw
• “Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives” by Jim Sheeler
• “The Medal of Honor: A Commemoration of South Carolina Recipients”
November 3rd, 2009 - 5:34 am
Remember Pearl Harbor — Keep America Alert!
America’s oldest living Medal of Honor recipient, living his 101st year is former enlisted Chief Petty Officer, Aviation Chief Ordnanceman (ACOM), later wartime commissioned Lieutenant John W. Finn, U. S. Navy (Ret.). He is also the last surviving Medal of Honor, “The Day of Infamy”, Japanese Attack on the Hawaiian Islands, Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, 7 December 1941.
(Now deceased) ‘Navy Centenarian Sailor’, 103 year old, former enlisted Chief Petty Officer, Aviation Chief Radioman (ACRM, Combat Aircrewman), later wartime commissioned Chief Warrant Officer Julio ‘Jay’ Ereneta, U. S. Navy (Ret.), is a thirty year career veteran of World War One and World War Two. He first flew aircrewman in August 1922; flew rearseat Radioman/Gunner (1920s/1930s) in the tactical air squadrons of the Navy’s first aircraft carriers, USS LANGLEY (CV-1) and USS LEXINGTON (CV-2).
Visit my photo album tribute to these centenarian veteran shipmates:
http://news.webshots.com/album/123286873BFAAiq
http://news.webshots.com/album/141695570BONFYl
San Diego, California
November 3rd, 2009 - 9:28 am
my school copyrighted this
November 4th, 2009 - 8:15 am
On Veterans Day weekend, I’ll be running a small race in support of the service men and woman who sacrifice their lives. For those of you in Long Island New York, if you are interested, here’s the website to Hope for the Warriors
http://www.hopeforthewarriors.org/lislandr4w09.html
November 12th, 2009 - 5:09 am
[...] Veterans Day is great way of placing a spotlight on our soldiers and the lives that they lead. Remembering them, [...]
December 14th, 2009 - 8:49 am
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