This Veterans Day, we celebrate the centennial of the date from which our modern celebration gets its start: Armistice Day, and the end of World War I.
With the passage of 100 years, our Veterans Day celebrations have evolved. Just as the solemn occasion of Memorial Day has been hijacked for barbecues and frivolity at the beach, many Americans mark Veterans Day as just another day off of work. Even for veterans, as military comic Terminal Lance annually jabs, it can be little more than a chance to eat free food at a variety of small restaurant chains.
On this 100-year anniversary, Americans should lay aside their partisan conflicts and make a united pledge to revive Veterans Day by finding meaningful ways to celebrate and honor our veteran population.
This year and every year, our political beliefs should never interfere with Veterans Day, because supporting veterans is not a partisan issue. Veterans’ political identities are diverse, with 20 percent identifying as Democrats, 36 percent as Republicans, and 49 percent as independents, according to an April 2017 Pew survey.
Veterans are not all the same, and why would we expect them to be? Those who have served this country come from diverse backgrounds and have unique experiences. Our veterans belonged to different branches of the military, and entered into one of hundreds of occupational specialties. Most are men, but 9 percent of the veteran population is female. Some veterans served only during times of peace, or never saw combat even while serving during war. Other veterans had the opposite experience, doing multiple combat tours in places like Ramadi and Sangin, flying missions over Libya, participating in peacekeeping efforts in former Yugoslavia, pursuing Soviet submarines through darkest oceans, fighting through jungle and machine gun fire at Dong Ap Bia, or taking on the German Army in the bitter cold during the Battle of the Bulge. Still, other servicemembers spent their time behind a desk or in a supply hub, taking care of the vital logistics without which a military force cannot function.
Every veteran gave up something in the course of their service, be it time with family, attending the birth of a child, or the simple ability to decide where they might like to live. Some gave up far more, leaving the service on account of injury or disability, or losing friends, oftentimes not just during, but also after war.
What our veterans have in common is the very reason they deserve our appreciation: Anyone who answers the call to military service gives up much of their own freedom, and trains to fight for our country, knowing full well that their personal safety is not assured.
Veterans make up 7 percent of the nation’s population and are represented in every segment of our workforce, and yet many civilians do not understand their experiences, and do not know how to show appreciation for their service. Oftentimes, civilians have been taught that asking veterans about their service is impolite. On the other hand, veterans sometimes find that the simple “Thank you for your service” rings hollow.
To mark this Veterans Day anniversary, the onus is on civilians to reach out and ask the veterans in our lives if they would tell us something about their time in the service. If we make the effort to listen, and to understand the stories veterans are willing to share, then we might have the chance to develop deeper dialogues. It is only from that honest exchange of ideas that we civilians can hope to learn meaningful ways to support and honor veterans.
America’s last living veteran of World War I passed away in 2011 at 110 years old. Of the 16 million Americans who fought in World War II, fewer than 500,000 are alive today. More than half of our veteran population is over the age of 60. If we do not work now to preserve them, many veterans’ stories will not become part of the oral history we pass on to future generations. It is vitally important, even during this time of incredible division, that we come together to change the way we pay our respects to those who have given of themselves for our freedom.
To mark the centennial anniversary of Armistice Day, Americans should spend this Veterans Day setting aside our partisan squabbles to celebrate, and truly commemorate, what an incredible, selfless gift our veterans have given us.
Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance writer from the Detroit area.
