Today is Verterans' Day. For many of us, the idea of serving our country in the armed services, especially in a time of war, is completely foreign. I cannot imagine the sacrifice, courage, and faith it took to put everything on the line the way so many men and women have.
Because I didn't know much about the history of Veterans' Day, I included some of the research I found:
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
My father and three of his brothers served during WWII. Two of his brothers died during the war, one from injuries he received in battle and one from natural causes. Through the Red Cross, Dad and his other brother could have come home to comfort their widowed mother, but they elected to stay and continue serving.
So, for today, I am grateful for those who served and who serve our country.
Today is a day for gratitude as much as Thanksgiving is. The test for me is to hold on to that gratitude long enough to remember why my trash will be picked up on Friday instead of Thursday.
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