Veteran’s Day – Honoring our Liberty – #Engage109

“Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

veterans-remembrance-day-quotes

Tomorrow we set aside time to honor our nation’s veterans for service above self and for selfless service in support of our freedom and liberty! We are a free people in a land devoted to liberty and justice for all, a land where the peaceful transition of power has been the norm and not the exception, and a land where being from somewhere else is expected, not questioned. Those who have served and fought for our freedom are heroes in whose memory we offer gratitude and thanks. As a third generation American and a son, nephew, son-in-law, cousin, friend, and neighbor and co-worker to veterans, I say THANK YOU! My wife and I named our son for one of my uncle’s who served our country for decades and who, along with my aunt, is interned at the Arlington National veterans-day-quotesCemetery. Veteran’s Day is a special time for reflection, thanks, gratitude and honor – it is a personally important day for me and my family.

From: Information about Veteran’s Day

Veterans Day is an official United States holiday which honors people who have served in armed service also known as veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11.

The precursor of Veterans Day was Armistice Day, proclaimed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson for November 11, 1919, to honor those members of the armed forces who were killed during war World War I. The date of 11th November was chosen to commemorate the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western veterans-day-quotes-4Front of World War I. An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday — a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.”

In 1954, after World War II and after American forces had fought aggression in Korea the Congress amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day. Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving.

On Veteran’s Day, as you are in school, at work, on a day off, serving others, please take a few moments

Retired Senior Master Sgt. Billy Neil poses near a quote by President Harry Truman at the National World War II Memorial during Hero Flight 2007 in Washington, D.C., Sept. 15. Hero Flight is an all-volunteer program that sets up trips to allow as many World War II veterans as possible to visit the National World War II Memorial. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Suzanne Day)

to think about the sacrifices so many have made that we can be free. Think about the millions of our countrymen and countrywomen who have fought tyranny and evil so that we can be free to read, write, think, speak, practice religion, vote, travel, and so many other freedoms we may take for granted from time to time. Think about our incredible Constitution and democracy and how we are able to freely select representatives for the government. Please be sure to always thank a veteran, thank a member of the armed and civil services and remember that we are so very fortunate to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave!!

2 thoughts on “Veteran’s Day – Honoring our Liberty – #Engage109

  1. Today students wrote letters to veterans to receive on their way home from a visit to Washington D.C. to celebrate their service to our country. It was an emotional moment for me as a I shared this assignment thinking of my dad and my uncles who served in WWII. Our class read “In Flanders Field” last week and learned what it meant to be veteran and the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. Hopefully their letters and drawings will bring joy to those who receive them and express our sincere gratitude for their service to our country.

    • Jeanne,
      Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I’m confident the relevance with which you are integrating literacy and current events is making an impact on your students. I am confident your work will bring joy to many of our veterans.
      Thank you for integrating personal with educational!!

      Sincerely,
      Mike

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