Kellen Pies '24, Copy Editor
Because of its place between Halloween and Christmas, November is always a busy month for the holidays. Families scramble for the best deals on gifts for their children while having to make plans for Thanksgiving dinner. However, this leads to some of November's other holidays being left under the radar—including Veterans Day.
Originally called Armistice Day, the idea of this special day was to honor the end of World War I, which concluded on Nov. 11, 1918. Through an act of Congress, this date was officially made a holiday as of 1938. Because of the trauma-inducing effects of World War II on veterans, service organizations for these veterans began lobbying in the pursuit of more care and attention for our country's former soldiers.
In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the legislation for 'Veterans Day' instead of 'Armistice Day' on June 1, as a result of the increasing urgency for veteran acknowledgment. "I served in the Navy for 22 years. I achieved the rank of Command Master Chief (E9). It was an honor serving my country. Veterans Day is extremely important to me. It gives all Americans the opportunity to thank our Veterans who served and lost their lives," Personnel Enlister Sis Yates said.
Before the official creation of the holiday, there had been other efforts from the U.S. government to help veterans. The Veterans Affairs (VA) administration was created by Executive Order 5390, and signed by President Herbert Hoover on July 21, 1930. The governmental organization works to provide healthcare and benefits for veterans and their families. In the past 12 months, 12 percent of veterans aged 18 or older were recorded to be below the poverty level. The VA has worked to decrease this number, but poverty still plagues many veterans. Trauma from wartime can diminish veterans' ability to get well-paying jobs and be motivated in day-to-day activities. The Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit organization that gains members who donate their time to helping veterans get back into the swing of society, along with rehabilitation retreats and free mental health counseling.
There are veterans all around us: 21 percent of 2022 presidential candidates were veterans, ten percent of living veterans are women, and 5.9 million soldiers served in the Vietnam War. "Veterans Day is meaningful for me mostly in being reminded to think about my brothers and sisters I served with. To reflect upon the time spent, the growth experienced, and the lessons learned. It is to honor our legacy and those who served before us," Marine Jordan Barker said. We owe our country's safety to veterans, whether they are still with us or not. And it is important to acknowledge them for their service—not just on Veterans Day, but any time we come across one of our country's heroes.
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