Happy Birthday Veterans Day! The day is officially 104 years old. It began as Armistice Day which celebrated the cease fire between the Allies and the Germans, which happened on November 11, 1918. The Congress changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954. Our President was Dwight D. Eisenhower. He had been the commander of the Allied Forces during WWII. He wrote Proclamation 3071 concerning Veterans Day. Let me share with you a couple of excerpts from this Proclamation.

“Whereas, in order to expand the significance of that commemoration and in order that a grateful Nation might pay appropriate homage to the veterans of all its wars who have contributed so much to the preservation of this Nation

Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America, do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954, as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain…”

What can we do to honor those that were willing to serve and if need be die for our way of life in the United States? Three “T’s”.

  1. Talk about the Flag. When I see the flag waving in the wind my emotions surge. I’m filled with pride because America has been a beacon for the whole world to see. I have a video I shot on the Sea of Galilee with the American flag and the flag of Israel flapping in the wind side by side. I pray we as a nation will never change our stand in that area. I get a tear in my eye when young people have never learned how special this place has been and they begin spouting nonsense about how terrible America’s founding was. I get angry when the history of our great country gets rewritten by ignorant or evil writers. The United States has fought wars for others, sacrificed our soldiers for others, and never sought to be the dictator of the world. The late Colin Powell was talking with the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Archbishop asked him if the war in Iraq was simply “empire building” by the United States. General Powell responded to this question by saying, “the U.S. has sent many young men and women to fight in foreign lands but has never asked for any more land than is enough in which to bury those who did not return.” I am proud of my country’s history. I’ve had a little problem with things in the past few years, but it is still the best place. Have you noticed that all those that promise to leave if a certain person gets elected NEVER leave? Have you noticed the 5 million people on the southern border that have come here illegally? They know America is still better than any other place on earth.
  2. Tell your family about Veterans you know. I have veterans all through my family history. Dad, stepdad, uncles, and cousins. As a child, I hung on every word when they would share their experiences. Most of them didn’t talk much about their experiences, but when they did I “was all ears” as the saying goes. In my mind, my family of Veterans who fought in WWII could have whipped the Germans by themselves. If the powers in Washington would have let him, my cousin Eddie could have won Vietnam by himself. My uncle Edwin, I had his funeral years ago, told me the story of a teenage boy that navigated the ship he was on for around 18 hours during a Typhoon in the Pacific. He was from the Great Lakes area and had experience with storms. His father was a captain on the Great Lakes.
  3. Thank a Veteran. If you know a veteran, thank them. If you don’t know one, look around. They’ll be the ones wearing a hat that will say something about a war. It might be about Korea or Vietnam. It might be a shirt that is tremendously patriotic. It might even be some tattoo. Those have always been popular with the military. Not so much with me personally, but the soldiers do it often for the comradery. The point is to “thank a vet” when you meet one. Thank them for their service. Thank them for helping preserve our freedom.

This Friday Blast is different than most I write. I had planned on writing today about the type people that God uses. As I began early this morning it seemed as though I just couldn’t get away from it being Veterans Day, so I shelved the thought for another day. America the Beautiful, the song, has also been rolling around in my mind this morning. I can think of two quick reasons for the truth of that song. One, God did shed His grace on us and two, Veterans were willing to fight for the cause of right. Happy Veteran’s Day.