PLATFORM : A Day for All Vets
Our squad of eight men gathered in Washington and saw the Wall on Memorial Day. And we touched the names of some of the guys we left behind. President Clinton was there, too, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Memorial Day serves as a tribute to every G.I. who ever died as a result of America’s wars and armed conflicts. And although there is much patriotism and ceremony associated with Memorial Day, not much is made of Veterans Day--the holiday dedicated to every man and woman who has served in America’s armed forces, not just those who perished.
No one in our squad died in Vietnam, and we look forward each year to Veterans Day. But nothing ever happens. No parades. No big ceremonies. Nothing.
Perhaps if we began giving Veterans Day equal footing with Memorial Day, all Americans who served their country could be honored more appropriately. Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael Durant, the only American captured in Somalia, technically could not be honored in Memorial Day observances because he did not die in combat. Yet he is the biggest military hero America has today and he deserves to be publicly recognized on Veterans Day for his heroism.
All other veterans deserve to be recognized, too. So today, please make the effort to at least offer a vet thanks.
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